磷酸盐改性零价铁界面电子调控酸性体系Eu3+的分离

    Interfacial Electronic Regulation of Phosphate-Modified Zero-Valent Iron for Separation of Eu3+ in Acidic Systems

    • 摘要: 乏燃料后处理中会产生长寿命和高放射毒性的次锕系元素(如Am3+、Cm3+),所以对其的高效分离是核化学与环境治理的关键。Eu3+因与Am3+、Cm3+元素性质高度相似,常作为非放射性模拟物的分离机制研究。在强酸多组分体系中,难以实现三价次锕系核素的高效选择性固定,界面反应路径不可控是主要瓶颈。然而,在强酸性、高盐度且多组分共存的真实高放废液体系中,传统材料往往面临结构稳定性差、活性位点易钝化等瓶颈,导致三价次锕系核素的高效选择性固定极难实现,而其根本原因在于复杂的固-液界面反应路径不可控。针对这一挑战,本研究制备了磷酸盐改性零价铁(P‑ZVIbm),通过构筑动态反应界面,实现了酸性条件下以 Eu3+为模拟物对 Am3+、Cm3+的高效分离。磷酸盐诱导形成的Fe−O−P界面可调控界面电子行为,推动分离机制从溶液主导向界面主导转变,促进Eu3+内层配位与界面磷酸盐相转化。光谱表征结合DFT计算证实:Eu3+在Fe−O−P界面通过多齿配位形成稳定Eu−O−P杂化键,吸附能低至−14.7 eV,Eu的4f、5d轨道O的2p轨道显著杂化,具有强化学键特征;同时该界面调控显著提升了零价铁在酸性条件下的结构稳定性。在复杂多组分废水体系中,P-ZVIbm对Eu3+展现出高选择性与优异再生性能,多次循环后解吸回收率仍保持85%以上。本研究表明,磷酸盐介导的界面电子调控为三价f区元素高效分离提供了可行策略,为界面驱动分离化学提供理论支撑,也为我国未来乏燃料后处理厂高放废液中次锕系核素的资源化回收、减容固化以及核环境安全控制提供了具有重要工程应用潜力的技术新方案。

       

      Abstract: Spent fuel reprocessing generates minor actinides such as Am3+ and Cm3+. Owing to their long half-lives and high radiotoxicity, their efficient separation represents a key issue in nuclear chemistry and environmental remediation. Eu3+, with physicochemical properties highly analogous to Am3+ and Cm3+, is frequently employed as a non-radioactive surrogate to investigate their separation mechanisms. In strongly acidic and multicomponent systems, the efficient and selective immobilization of trivalent minor actinides remains challenging, with uncontrollable interfacial reaction pathways as the major bottleneck. However, in real high-level liquid waste systems characterized by strong acidity, high salinity, and multi-component coexistence, conventional materials frequently suffer from bottlenecks such as poor structural stability and rapid passivation of active sites. These drawbacks render the efficient and selective immobilization of trivalent minor actinides extremely difficult, a limitation primarily rooted in the uncontrollable nature of complex solid-liquid interfacial reaction pathways. To address this challenge, in this study, phosphate-modified zero-valent iron(P-ZVIbm) was fabricated, and a dynamic reactive interface was constructed to achieve efficient separation of Am3+ and Cm3+ using Eu3+ as a surrogate under acidic conditions. The Fe−O−P interface induced by phosphate regulates interfacial electron behavior, drives the separation mechanism from solution-dominated to interface-dominated, and facilitates inner-sphere complexation of Eu3+ and interfacial phosphate phase transformation. Spectroscopic characterizations combined with DFT calculations verify that Eu3+ forms stable Eu−O−P hybrid bonds at the Fe−O−P interface via multidentate coordination, with an adsorption energy as low as −14.7 eV. The 4f and 5d orbitals of Eu are strongly hybridized with the 2p orbital of O, revealing characteristic strong chemical bonding. Meanwhile, such interfacial regulation significantly improves the structural stability of zero-valent iron in acidic media. In complex multicomponent wastewater systems, P−ZVIbm exhibits high selectivity toward Eu3+ and excellent reusability, with a desorption efficiency maintained above 85% after multiple cycles. This study demonstrates that phosphate-mediated interfacial electron regulation provides a feasible strategy for the efficient separation of trivalent f-block elements, offers theoretical support for interface-driven separation chemistry, and presents a new approach for the resource recovery and pollution control of minor actinides during spent fuel reprocessing. It also provides a novel technical scheme with significant potential for engineering applications in the resource recovery, volume reduction, solidification, and environmental safety control of minor actinides in high-level liquid waste from China’s future spent fuel reprocessing plants.

       

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