Identifying the Recognition Site for Selective Trapping of 99TcO4– in a Hydrolytically Stable and Radiation Resistant Cationic Metal–Organic Framework

Effective and selective removal of 99TcO4– from aqueous solution is highly desirable for both waste partitioning and contamination remediation purposes in the modern nuclear fuel cycle, but is of significant challenge. We report here a hydrolytically stable and radiation-resistant cationic metal–organic framework (MOF), SCU-101, exhibiting extremely fast removal kinetics, exceptional distribution coefficient, and high sorption capacity toward TcO4–. More importantly, this material can selectively remove TcO4– in the presence of large excesses of NO3– and SO42–, as even 6000 times of SO42– in excess does not significantly affect the sorption of TcO4–. These superior features endow that SCU-101 is capable of effectively separating TcO4– from Hanford low-level waste melter off-gas scrubber simulant stream. The sorption mechanism is directly unraveled by the single crystal structure of TcO4–-incorporated SCU-101, as the first reported crystal structure to display TcO4– trapped in a sorbent material. A recognition site for the accommodation of TcO4– is visualized and is consistent with the DFT analysis results, while no such site can be resolved for other anions.