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-WO 3 @CF) was designed for electrochemical extraction of UO 2 2+ from uranium -containing wastewater. The induced P in WO 3 @CF not only improves the conductivity to accelerate electron transfer, but also offers surface P - O species to capture UO 2 2+ for subsequent electrochemical reduction. Besides, the decoration of WO 3 and P-WO 3 greatly enhanced the hydrophilicity of electrode. As a result, the required voltage was significantly reduced for the electrochemical extraction of UO 2 2+ by using P-WO 3 @CF. The extraction efficiency of UO 2 2+ reached 98.8 % within 240 min at -2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) by the P-WO 3 @CF electrode. Moreover, the P-WO 3 @CF electrode also exhibited significant antijamming capability for UO 2 2+ 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.