Citation: Yaowen Liu, Xu Zhu, Zijian Chen, Beichen Xue, Haitao Yi, Xin Huang, Yilin Ji, Jing Li, Xingqi Han, Xinlong Tian. Defect-rich MOFs with multiple adsorption and catalytic sites for efficient electrochemical uranium extraction from seawater[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 112892. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112892 shu

Defect-rich MOFs with multiple adsorption and catalytic sites for efficient electrochemical uranium extraction from seawater

State Key Laboratory of Tropic Ocean Engineering Materials and Materials Evaluation, School of Marine Technology and Equipment, Hainan Provincial Key Lab of Fine Chem, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China

xuebc@hainanu.edu.cn

hanxq@hainanu.edu.cn

tianxl@hainanu.edu.cn

Received Date: 18 March 2026
Revised Date: 30 April 2026
Accepted Date: 7 May 2026
Available Online: 7 May 2026

Figures(4)

Electrochemical uranium extraction from seawater is a green mining strategy for the sustainable development of the nuclear industry, while designing advanced electrode materials with high adsorption capacity and efficient electron transfer capability remains a significant challenge. Herein, a novel MOF-based material (Ti-MOF_Ov-AO) is developed through defect engineering, which integrates multiple sites including oxygen vacancies, amidoxime functional groups, porous architectures and redox-active Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ pairs for U(Ⅵ) adsorption, and catalytic conversion to accelerate the electroextraction kinetics. The synergistic interaction among these active sites facilitates the rapid enrichment of UO₂²⁺ on cathode, leading to the formation of Na₂O(UO₃H₂O)_x deposits and rapid regeneration of active sites for continuous extraction. Consequently, Ti-MOF_Ov-AO achieves an exceptionally high extraction capacity of 14.80 mg g^-1 d^-1 in 30 L of natural seawater under alternating voltages ranging from 0 to -3.5 V. This work presents valuable insights into designing an efficient electrode material for uranium extraction from seawater.
- Uranium extraction,
- Electrochemical method,
- MOFs,
- Defect engineering,
- Oxygen vacancy
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