Phosphorus functionalized tungsten trioxide nanosheets loaded on three-dimensional carbon felt for efficient electrochemical uranium extraction

Efficient removal of uranium from wastewater is of great significance to the environment and human health. Herein, a novel electrode composed of carbon felt-anchored phosphorus-functionalized tungsten trioxide nanosheets (P-WO3@CF) was designed for electrochemical extraction of UO22+ from uranium-containing wastewater. The induced P in WO3@CF not only improves the conductivity to accelerate electron transfer, but also offers surface PO species to capture UO22+ for subsequent electrochemical reduction. Besides, the decoration of WO3 and P-WO3 greatly enhanced the hydrophilicity of electrode. As a result, the required voltage was significantly reduced for the electrochemical extraction of UO22+ by using P-WO3@CF. The extraction efficiency of UO22+ reached 98.8 % within 240 min at −2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) by the P-WO3@CF electrode. Moreover, the P-WO3@CF electrode also exhibited significant antijamming capability for UO22+ extraction in complex aqueous environment with several interfering metal ions. This work provides a new strategy to design novel electrode for efficient extraction of uranium from aqueous solutions.