Record High\nUranium Photoassisted Capture Performance\nfrom Fluorine-Containing Wastewater by Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub> with Surface Defect and Heterostructure

The\nuranium recovery from high concentration fluorine-containing\nuranium wastewater is a desired research target in the field of environmental\nradiochemistry but is very challenging due to the formation of stable\nuranium fluoride complexes that are quite difficult to extract. By\nemploying surface defect engineering and interfacial heterostructure\ndesign, we present here the rational design of an efficient photocatalyst\n(Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub>) for U(VI) uptake from\nfluorine-containing uranium wastewater without any sacrificial agents.\nThe defect-rich surface of Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub> facilitates confined adsorption of uranium, while the introduction\nof Ag nanoparticles enables both efficient electron–hole separation\nand a plasmon effect upon light irradiation. Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub> shows high U(VI) removal efficiency of 96.3% at\n8 mg/L U(VI) within 60 min. Notably, even when the ratio of F<sup>–</sup> to U(VI) is as high as 20:1, the removal efficiency\nof U(VI) by Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub> reaches up\nto 95%. Additionally, the maximum capture capacity of U(VI) on Ag/WO<sub>3–<i>x</i></sub> reaches 676.8 mg/g at 200 mg/L\nof U(VI) within 60 min, which is superior to ever-reported photocatalysts\nin fluorine-containing uranium wastewater. This work provides an effective\nway for the uranium capture from fluorine-containing wastewater through\nthe synergy of plasmon effect and defect engineering.