China Is in Its Nuclear Spring and Needs Uranium by the Ton. Its Solution: a Material That “Fishs” It Out of the Sea

A team at China’s Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes developed a MOF-based micromotor that works like a sponge to capture dissolved uranium from seawater.

In lab tests, the material showed strong uranium uptake, suggesting a possible new domestic supply source for China’s nuclear expansion.

The technology is still at an early stage and faces technical hurdles before it can be deployed at large scale.

Researchers say the same approach could eventually help recover other strategic materials for industry and defense.