Nuclear power could continue to be a reliable and carbon-free energy source at least from a near-term perspective. In addition to the safety issues, another risk that may threaten the sustainability of this technology is the uranium supply disruption. As opposed to the land-based deposits, the ocean contains 1,000 times more uranium reserves and provides a more abundant resource for uranium. However, due to the very low concentration and presence of many other metal ions as well as the accumulation of microorganisms, the development of uranium extraction technology faces enormous challenges. Here we report a bifunctional polymeric peptide hydrogel that shows not only strong affinity to and selectivity for uranium in seawater but also remarkable resistance against biofouling. Detailed characterizations reveal that the amino acid in this peptide material serves as the binding ligand, and uranyl is exclusively bound to the oxygen atoms. Benefiting from its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, the present polymeric adsorbent can inhibit the growth of approximately 99% of marine microorganisms. Measurements in natural seawater show that this peptide material delivers an impressive extraction capacity of 7.12 mg g⁻¹ and can be reused. This work opens a new direction for the design of low-cost and sustainable materials for obtaining nuclear fuel.

至少从近期角度来看，核电可以继续成为可靠的无碳能源。除安全问题外，铀供应中断也可能威胁到该技术的可持续性。与陆上沉积物不同，海洋中的铀储量多出1000倍，为铀提供了更丰富的资源。然而，由于非常低的浓度和许多其他金属离子的存在以及微生物的积累，铀提取技术的发展面临着巨大的挑战。在这里，我们报告了一种双功能聚合物肽水凝胶，该凝胶不仅显示出对海水中铀的强亲和力和选择性，而且还具有出色的抗生物结垢性。详细的特征表明，该肽材料中的氨基酸用作结合配体，而铀酰仅与氧原子结合。得益于其广谱抗微生物活性，本发明的聚合物吸附剂可以抑制约99％的海洋微生物的生长。在天然海水中的测量结果表明，这种肽材料的提取能力令人印象深刻，为7.12 mg g^-1，可以重复使用。这项工作为设计低成本和可持续的获取核燃料的材料开辟了新的方向。