Interlayer manipulation of bio-inspired TiCT nanocontainer through intercalation of amino acid molecules to dramatically boosting uranyl hijacking capability from seawater.

More than 4.5 billion tons of unconventional uranium resources [UO(CO)] are uniformly dissolved in seawater, providing a sustainable and abundant fuel source for the development of nuclear energy. Herein, we presented a rational design and development of TiCT nanocontainer inspired by the exceptional selectivity and affinity exhibited by superb-uranyl proteins through amino acid intercalation. The amino acid intercalation of TiCT demonstrated exceptional UO capture capacity (Arg-TiCT, His-TiCT, and Lys-TiCT with q values of 594.46, 846.04, and 1030.17 mg/g). Furthermore, these intercalated materials exhibited remarkable sequestration efficiency and selectivity (Uinitial = ∼45.2 ∼7636 μg/L; ∼84.45% ∼98.08%; and ∼2.72 ×10 ∼1.28 ×10 K value), despite the presence of an overwhelming surplus of Na, Ca, Mg, and Co ions. Significantly, even in the 0.3 M NaHCO solution and surpassing 10-fold of the NaVO system, the adsorption efficiency of Lys-TiCT still achieved a remarkable 63.73% and 65.05%. Moreover, the Lys-TiCT can extract ∼30.23 ∼8664.03 μg/g uranium after 24 h contact in ∼13.3 ∼5000 μg/L concentration from uranium-spiked natural seawater. The mechanism analysis revealed that the high binding capability can be attributed to the chelation of carboxyl and amino groups with uranyl ions. This innovative state-of-the-art approach in regulating uranium harvesting capability through intercalation of amino acid molecules provides novel insights for extracting uranium from seawater.