Thermal-responsive Ion-imprinted Magnetic Microspheres for Selective Separation and Controllable Release of Uranium from Highly Saline Radioactive Effluents

•A strategy is developed for highly efficient uranium separation from SLLWs by UIMM.•The UIMM possess an outstanding selectivity for uranium against other cations.•Highly efficient elution can be achieved facilely via changing the temperature.•It can be easily separated from the aqueous medium by external magnetic field.•It shows an ultrafast sorption for uranium with a large k2 of 24.06 g/mg/h.