Rational design of covalent organic frameworks as a groundbreaking uranium capture platform through three synergistic mechanisms

Herein, we report the first example of covalent organic framework (DHBD-TMT) linked by unsubstituted olefin-linkages for selective loading, chemical reduction and photocatalytic reduction of uranium. The unique structures of DHBD-TMT possess all the characteristics to be well suited as a capture platform for selective ligand complexation, efficient chemical reduction and photocatalytic reduction of uranium, thus exhibiting a groundbreaking uranium capture capacity (2640.8 mg g-1). In the dark, DHBD-TMT can effectively adsorb uranium through the hydroxyl groups laced on the skeleton and reduce UVI to UIV in situ, leading to a higher adsorption capacity and selectivity of uranium. At the same time, the synergistic effect of the hydroquinone and triazine units in the extended π-conjugated skeleton significantly improve the photocatalytic activity of DHBD-TMT, and an additional UVI photocatalytic reduction mechanism can occur under visible light irradiation, allowing significantly higher the capacity and faster adsorption kinetics.