Highly Efficient Adsorption of Uranium(VI) Ions in Aqueous Solution by Imidazole-4,5-Dicarboxylic Acid-Functionalized UiO-66

In this study, a novel adsorbent, UiO-66-H3IMDC, was successfully prepared by functionalizing UiO-66 with imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid (H3IMDC). The effective functionalization of H3IMDC on UiO-66 was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The relationships between the adsorption of U(VI) on UiO-66-H3IMDC and the contact time, the pH of the solution, as well as the initial concentration of U(VI) were investigated. Additionally, the selective adsorption of U(VI) by UiO-66-H3IMDC and its cyclic regeneration performance were also studied. The results demonstrate that the UiO-66-H3IMDC adsorbent exhibits excellent adsorption performance for uranium in aqueous solutions.