@article{Yu2025, 
author = {Fengtao Yu and Mei Xu and Yu Sha and Bo Wang and Yan Liu and Jie Xu and Jianding Qiu},
title = {Isomer-tailored vinylene-based COFs for photo-enhanced uranium extraction from seawater: Mechanistic insights into carrier dynamics and structural superiority},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {9},
pages = {94907677},
keywords = {uranium extraction from seawater, adsorption-photocatalytic, isomerism, vinylene-based covalent organic frameworks, carrier separation and migration},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94907677},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94907677},
abstract = {Addressing the challenges of uranium extraction from seawater (UES) requires innovative strategies to overcome ultralow concentration (3.3 ppb) and thermodynamic limits. Herein, we propose a regioisomeric engineering strategy to design vinylene-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for synergistic adsorption-photocatalytic UES. Two isomeric COFs, β-PTTN-AO and α-PNNB-AO, were synthesized by tuning the substitution positions of amidoxime (AO) groups on olefin bonds. The β-PTTN-AO isomer achieves a remarkable UES capacity of 12.74 ± 0.21 mg·g−1 in nature seawater, surpassing its α-positioned counterpart (8.9 ± 0.18 mg·g−1) and outperforming most reported photocatalysts. Combined experiments and density functional theory (DFT) theoretical studies correlate regioisomeric configurations with electronic structure modulation and photocatalytic activity. Specifically, β-PTTN-AO enhance π-electron delocalization and strengthen built-in electric fields, promoting exciton dissociation, charge separation, and uranium reduction. This work establishes a molecular design paradigm for COF photocatalysts, advancing sustainable nuclear energy through structural isomerism.}
}