Structural Design and Functionalization Strategies of Polymer-Based Materials for Highly-Efficient Uranium Extraction

The full utilization of marine uranium resources holds significant strategic importance for sustainable nuclear energy development. However, achieving efficient uranium extraction from seawater remains highly challenging due to the ultra-low uranium concentration, complex ionic environment, and microbial fouling in marine ecosystems. To date, numerous advanced materials with exceptional extraction performance have been developed. Among these, polymer materials have emerged as one of the most promising candidates for industrial-scale seawater uranium extraction, owing to their scalable production, tunable architecture, and superior binding affinities. From the point of structural design and functionalization strategies, this review presents an up-to-date overview of the latest advancements in the polymer-based uranium extraction materials and the methodologies towards the function-oriented development of uranium adsorbents with high adsorption capacity, selectivity, and biofouling resistance, along with various emerging polymer-enabled seawater uranium extraction technologies. Furthermore, the critical technical challenges and future research directions in the development of polymer-based uranium extraction materials are thoroughly elucidated.