Quantitative Pertechnetate Capture by a Bambusuril-based Material: From Seawater Decontamination to Radiopharmaceutical Solutions.

Abstract

Pertechnetate is central to nuclear waste management (99 TcO 4 -) and nuclear medicine (99m TcO 4 -), yet its selective capture from saline media at ultratrace concentrations remains an unsolved challenge. Here we show that bambusuril macrocycles binds 99 TcO 4 - in water with micromolar affinity, forming well-defined host-guest complexes. Immobilization of bambusuril on silica translates this molecular recognition into efficient solid-phase extraction, enhancing binding under highly competitive conditions of seawater and medicinal generator eluents. The resulting material quantitatively captures 99 TcO 4 - from saline solutions at femtomolar concentrations and enables direct elution of preconcentrated 99 TcO 4 - using commercial nuclear medicine kit formulations. These findings establish bambusuril-based materials as the first supramolecular platform for ultratrace pertechnetate capture from highly competitive saline media, bridging molecular recognition with applications in nuclear medicine and environmental remediation.

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