Feng Zhou,* Yizhi Zeng, Chen Xie, Taihong Liu,* and Dingming Xue. Appl. Surface Sci. 2026, 723, 165616. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.165616

Uranium resources underpin the sustainable development of nuclear power. Given the relative scarcity of terrestrial uranium ores, extracting uranium from seawater, an abundant reservoir, has emerged as a green, sustainable, and promising alternative. Among various strategies, photocatalytic uranium extraction has attracted considerable attention owing to its rapid extraction kinetics and intrinsic antifouling capability. Within this context, Ti-based materials are particularly compelling candidates due to their strong affinity for uranium, high stability, and low cost. Herein, we report an in-situ construction of a composite architecture on Ti mesh, comprising TiO₂ nanotubes and the MIL‑125 titanium metal–organic framework, thereby forming a three-dimensional Ti-based heterointerface. This hierarchical configuration markedly enlarges the effective catalytic interface, facilitates interfacial charge separation and transport, and optimizes the generation and utilization of reactive species, collectively delivering synergistic enhancement in photocatalytic uranium extraction. The resulting material exhibits excellent performance in seawater matrices, achieving a photocatalytic uranium extraction amount of 312 mg·g^-1. It also demonstrates outstanding recyclability, retaining over 90% of its uranium-extraction efficiency after 10 cycles, and displays robust tolerance to microbial fouling, organic contaminants, and competing adsorptive ions. This work offers mechanistic insights and a practical blueprint for the structural design and performance optimization of high-efficiency photocatalysts for seawater uranium extraction.

First Author: Dr. Zhou Feng, Rocket Force University of Engineering

Correspondence Authors: A/Prof. Liu Taihong, Shaanxi Normal University; Dr. Zhou Feng, Rocket Force University of Engineering

Full Text Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.165616