Microrecycling of the metal–polymer-laminated packaging materials via thermal disengagement technology

Utilising problematic waste to detect toxic gas release in the environment: fabricating a NiO doped CuO nanoflake based ammonia sensor from e-waste

Using problematic electronic waste to synthesise high-purity nanomaterials can enable sustainable production and create opportunities to divert waste from landfills. Reported here is a simple strategy for the controllable synthesis of in situ NiO doped CuO nanoflakes from waste flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) using a chemothermal microrecycling process, and the nanomaterial is then utilised for an ammonia (NH₃) sensor at room temperature. Characterisation of the nanoflakes confirmed the purity of the CuO phase with a monoclinic structure without the formation of the Cu₂O phase. The NiO doped CuO 2D nanoflakes made of an assembly of 1D nanorods with a high surface area of 115.703 m² g^-1 are selectively synthesised from the waste FPCBs and have outstanding gas sensing characteristics such as a high response, a fast response (11.7 s) and a recovery time of (21.5 s), good stability, and superior selectivity towards 200 ppm of NH₃ gas at room temperature (RT, 20 °C). From a broader perspective, the process opens up exciting new avenues explore the production of toxic gas sensing functional materials from toxic and problematic waste.

Chemical Reaction and Bonding Mechanism at the Polymer-Metal Interface

Polymer-metal hybrid structures have attracted significant attention recently due to their advantage of great weight reduction and excellent integrated physical/chemical properties. However, due to great physicochemical differences between polymers and metals, obtaining an interface with high bonding strength is a challenge, which makes it critically important to clarify the underlying bonding mechanisms. In the present research, we focused on revealing the underlying bonding mechanisms of a laminated Cr-coated steel-ethylene acrylic acid (EAA) strip prepared by hot roll bonding from the microscale to the molecular scale with experimental evidence. The microscale mechanical interlocking was analyzed and proven by scanning white light interferometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by means of observing the surface and cross-sectional morphologies. Additionally, interfacial phases and chemical compositions were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). More directly and effectively, the interface was successfully exposed for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Combined with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) and depth profiling analysis, the formation of -(O═)C-O-Cr and -C-(O-Cr)2 covalent bonds through chemical reactions at the interface between -COOH and Cr2O3 was verified. Based on these characterization results, interfacial bonding mechanisms for the laminated Cr-coated steel-EAA strip were clearly identified to be chemical bonding and micromechanical interlocking, along with hydrogen bonding, which were all demonstrated with solid experimental evidence. In addition, 3D-render view and cross-section images of typical ion fragments at the interface were used to reveal the interfacial structure more comprehensively. The contributions of hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds to the interface were evaluated and compared for the first time. This study provides both methodological and theoretical guidance for investigating and understanding interfacial bonding formation in polymer-metal hybrid structures.

Modeling of Metalized Food Packaging Plastics Pyrolysis Kinetics Using an Independent Parallel Reactions Kinetic Model

Recently, a pyrolysis process has been adapted as an emerging technology to convert metalized food packaging plastics waste (MFPWs) into energy products with a high economic benefit. In order to upscale this technology, the knowledge of the pyrolysis kinetic of MFPWs is needed and studying these parameters using free methods is not sufficient to describe the last stages of pyrolysis. For a better understanding of MFPWs pyrolysis kinetics, independent parallel reactions (IPR) kinetic model and its modification model (MIPR) were used in the present research to describe the kinetic parameters of MFPWs pyrolysis at different heating rates (5-30 °C min-1). The IPR and MIPR models were built according to thermogravimetric (TG)-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results of three different types of MFPWs (coffee, chips, and chocolate) and their mixture. The accuracy of the developed kinetic models was evaluated by comparing the conformity of the DTG experimental results to the data calculated using IPR and MIPR models. The results showed that the dependence of the pre-exponential factor on the heating rate (as in the case of MIPR model) led to better conformity results with high predictability of kinetic parameters with an average deviation of 2.35% (with an improvement of 73%, when compared to the IPR model). Additionally, the values of activation energy and pre-exponential factor were calculated using the MIPR model and estimated at 294 kJ mol-1 and 5.77 × 1017 kJ mol-1 (for the mixed MFPW sample), respectively. Finally, GC-MS results illustrated that pentane (13.8%) and 2,4-dimethyl-1-heptene isopropylcyclobutane (44.31%) represent the main compounds in the released volatile products at the maximum decomposition temperature.

Material Microsurgery: Selective Synthesis of Materials via High-Temperature Chemistry for Microrecycling of Electronic Waste

This study aims to establish a novel pathway for transforming complex electronic waste into advanced hybrid materials by leveraging high-temperature reactions. This research utilized silica (SiO₂) sourced from computer monitor glass; carbon obtained from plastic components of spent monitor shells; and copper (Cu) recovered from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) to produce a high-quality hybrid layer on a steel substrate. The transformation process consisted of two steps. In the first step, silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires were produced from the spent monitor's glass and plastic. In the second step, these nanowires were combined with Cu obtained by grinding waste PCBs to produce the hybrid layer over the steel surface. The Cu-SiC hybrid layer on a steel substrate was produced successfully by the judicious selection of waste sources and by selecting a microrecycling technique, which resulted in superior mechanical properties for the end product. This technique, proposed as 'material microsurgery', has the potential to transform waste materials into new hybrid surface coatings, which endows the base materials with superior properties to those seen in the source materials. For example, the SiC-nanowire-reinforced Cu layer added to steel in this study improved the hardness of the base material.