Two‐dimensional stratified ferrocene‐phosphate with adsorption–reduction coupling function for enhanced uranium capture

Abstract

Abstract The development of uranium separation materials is essential to ensure a stable uranium supply for energy and to mitigate environmental risks. We report a two‐dimensional ferrocene‐vanadyl phosphate composite (fc‐VOP) with expanded interlayer spacing (9.8 Å) and adsorption–reduction coupling function, made by solvent‐assisted intercalation. This enables efficient uranium capture via optimized interlayer structure and interfacial properties. Interlayer expansion facilitates uranyl ion transport, accelerating adsorption kinetics, while the coupling function elevates interfacial concentration gradients to enhance ion binding, boosting capacity. The fc‐VOP shows a theoretical adsorption capacity of 1968.60 mg/g (pH = 4, pure nitrate solution) with equilibrium in 30 min. It also performs well in spiked matrices, achieving 336.4 mg/g in leachate and 248.2 mg/g in seawater. This work provides a viable route to improve 2D phosphate materials for uranyl adsorption and offers mechanistic insights into designing adsorption–reduction coupling materials.