A strippable catechol-terminated polyurethane coating for large-area radioactive cesium decontamination

Efficient and rapid decontamination of radioactive elements is important to prevent radioactive exposure. Herein, we develop a strippable catechol-terminated polyurethane (CPU) coating for effective surface decontamination. Our polyurethane coating can be directly applied to contaminated surfaces via simple spraying or solution casting, followed by rapid drying at room temperature. The resulting coating is easily stripped off with sufficient toughness and adhesion strength, showing superior ¹³⁷Cs removal efficiency on stainless steel (∼94.9%) and rough cement (∼59.1%), in a much shorter time (<3 h) compared to commercial decontamination coatings (∼93.8% on stainless steel and ∼8.4% on cement after 24 h). This performance can be attributed to the strong adhesion and cohesion mediated by catechol moieties. Furthermore, after use, the coating waste is readily dissolvable in acetone, suggesting potential for reducing radioactive waste with the aid of an appropriate separation process, thereby preventing secondary contamination. These results establish CPU as a promising radioactive decontamination strategy.