Phosphate functionalized layered double hydroxides (phos-LDH) for ultrafast and efficient U(VI) uptake from polluted solutions.

Elimination of U(VI) from polluted solutions is important for human health and environmental safety. In this work, a relatively low-cost 3D flower-like phosphate-functionalized layered double hydroxides (phos-LDH) was fabricated by a one-pot hydrothermal method. The prepared phos-LDH inherited the structure of 3D flower-like layered double hydroxides (LDH), and had a higher specific surface area (∼203.4 m2⋅g-1) than that of LDH. The kinetic process indicated that U(VI) adsorption onto phos-LDH achieved equilibrium within 15 min and obeyed general order model. The adsorption isotherms of phos-LDH illustrated that the U(VI) adsorption obeyed Langmuir model, the adsorption capability of phos-LDH can reach 923.1 mg⋅g-1 at 298 K. The U(VI) adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process according to the thermodynamic data. There was the electrostatic attraction between U(VI) and phos-LDH at pH = 5.0. FTIR and XPS analyses educed that the hydroxyl and phosphate groups played a very useful role for the complexation between U(VI) and phos-LDH. In addition, the excellent selective adsorption capability for U(VI) in competitive cation and anion solutions further confirmed the practical application of phos-LDH in real wastewater treatment.