<sup>99</sup>TcO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> remediation by a cationic polymeric network.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30068903.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-05380-5 and PMC identifier 6070552.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Direct removal of <sup>99</sup>TcO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> from the highly acidic solution of used nuclear fuel is highly beneficial for the recovery of uranium and plutonium and more importantly aids in the elimination of <sup>99</sup>Tc discharge into the environment. However, this task represents a huge challenge given the combined extreme conditions of super acidity, high ionic strength, and strong radiation field. Here we overcome this challenge using a cationic polymeric network with significant TcO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> uptake capabilities in four aspects: the fastest sorption kinetics, the highest sorption capacity, the most promising uptake performance from highly acidic solutions, and excellent radiation-resistance and hydrolytic stability among all anion sorbent materials reported. In addition, this material is fully recyclable for multiple sorption/desorption trials, making it extremely attractive for waste partitioning and emergency remediation. The excellent TcO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> uptake capability is elucidated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, solid-state NMR measurement, and density functional theory analysis on anion coordination and bonding.