Adsorption of UO2+2 by polyethylene adsorbents with amidoxime,carboxyl, and amidoxime/carboxyl group

The polyethylene (PE) adsorbents were prepared by a radiation-induced grafting of acrylonitrile (AN), acrylic acid (AA), and the mixture of AN/AA onto PE film, and by subsequent amidoximation of cyano groups of poly-AN graft chains. With an increase of AA composition in AN/AA monomer mixture, the water uptake of the grafted polyethylene film increased. In AN/AA mixture, the maximum adsorption of UO²⁺₂ was observed in the adsorbent with a ratio of AN/AA (50/50, mol%) in copolymer. The amidoxime, carboxyl, and amidoxime/carboxyl groups onto PE acted as a chelating site for the selected UO²⁺₂. The complex structure of polyethylene with three functional groups and UO²⁺₂ was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.