Synthesis of amidoximated polyacrylonitrile fibers and its application for sorption of aqueous uranyl ions under continuous flow

This study reports a feasible method for the removal of radioactive U(VI) ions from aqueous systems via column sorption under continuous flow. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were used as sorbent materials in a homemade minicolumn. The nitrile groups on the fibers’ surface were modified to amidoxime groups using hydroxylamine hydrochloride. Surface modification was observed to enhance the sorption capacity of PAN fibers toward uranium ions by more than 4-fold by virtue of the chelating ability of the amidoxime groups. The experiments investigated the effect of pH, initial concentration, and repetitive loading on the sorption properties of amidoximated PAN fibers. Based on the overall results, the surface-modified fibers seem to be a suitable potential sorbent material for applications in environmental cleanup, particularly for nuclear plants.

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► Submicron diameter PAN fibers were successfully prepared by electrospinning.
► PAN fiber mat was found to be promising in sorption of U(VI) ions by column method.
► The surface of PAN fibers were post-functionalized by amidoximation reaction.
► The surface modification remarkably enhanced U(VI) sorption capacity of PAN fibers.