FUNCTIONALIZED ELECTROSPUN POLYMER NANOFIBERS FOR TREATMENT OF WATER CONTAMINATED WITH URANIUM.

ABSTRACT: Uranium (U) contamination of drinking water often affects communities with limited resources, presenting unique technology challenges for U⁶⁺ treatment. Here, we develop a suite of chemically functionalized polymer (polyacrylonitrile; PAN) nanofibers for low pressure reactive filtration applications for U⁶⁺ removal. Binding agents with either nitrogen-containing or phosphorous-based (e.g., phosphonic acid) functionalities were blended (at 1-3 wt.%) into PAN sol gels used for electrospinning, yielding functionalized nanofiber mats. For comparison, we also functionalized PAN nanofibers with amidoxime (AO) moieties, a group well-recognized for its specificity in U⁶⁺ uptake. For optimal N-based (Aliquat® 336 or Aq) and P-containing [hexadecylphosphonic acid (HP

SUBMITTER: Johns A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8297917 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature