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Smith P, Hu J, Griffin A, Robertson M, Güillen Obando A, Bounds E, Dunn CB, Ye C, Liu L, Qiang Z. Accurate additive manufacturing of lightweight and elastic carbons using plastic precursors. Nat Commun 2024; 15:838. [PMID: 38287004 PMCID: PMC10825225 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite groundbreaking advances in the additive manufacturing of polymers, metals, and ceramics, scaled and accurate production of structured carbons remains largely underdeveloped. This work reports a simple method to produce complex carbon materials with very low dimensional shrinkage from printed to carbonized state (less than 4%), using commercially available polypropylene precursors and a fused filament fabrication-based process. The control of macrostructural retention is enabled by the inclusion of fiber fillers regardless of the crosslinking degree of the polypropylene matrix, providing a significant advantage to directly control the density, porosity, and mechanical properties of 3D printed carbons. Using the same printed plastic precursors, different mechanical responses of derived carbons can be obtained, notably from stiff to highly compressible. This report harnesses the power of additive manufacturing for producing carbons with accurately controlled structure and properties, while enabling great opportunities for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Smith
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Jiayue Hu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Temple University, 1801N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Anthony Griffin
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Mark Robertson
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Alejandro Güillen Obando
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Ethan Bounds
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Carmen B Dunn
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Changhuai Ye
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Ling Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Temple University, 1801N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
| | - Zhe Qiang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Temple University, 1801N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
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Mao Q, Rajabpour S, Talkhoncheh MK, Zhu J, Kowalik M, van Duin ACT. Cost-effective carbon fiber precursor selections of polyacrylonitrile-derived blend polymers: carbonization chemistry and structural characterizations. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:6357-6372. [PMID: 35411903 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr00203e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Blending polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with plastic wastes and bio-based polymers provides a convenient and inexpensive method to realize cost-effective carbon fiber (CF) precursors. In this work, PAN-based blend precursors are investigated using ReaxFF reactive molecular dynamics simulations with respect to the formation of all-carbon rings, the evolutions of oxygen-containing and nitrogen-containing species, and the migration of carbon atoms to form turbostratic graphene. From these simulations, we identify that PAN/cellulose (CL) blend manifests the highest carbon yield and the most substantial all-carbon ring formation. This ReaxFF-based finding is confirmed by Raman and TEM experiments indicating high crystallinity for PAN/CL-derived blend CFs. We trace the pathway of gasification and carbonization of PAN/CL to elaborate the mechanism of the formation of all-carbon ring networks. We discover that the acetals of CL can catalyze the cyclization of the blend precursor, allowing for the search for CL derivatives or the other kinds of bio-based polymers with similar functionalities as alternative blends. In addition, we examine the structural characteristics using the carbon-carbon (C-C) radial distribution functions, C-C bond length distributions, and sp2 C atom ratios for the four representative precursors, i.e., PAN, oxidized PAN, PAN/nylon 6,6, and PAN/CL. Our simulation results show the most extensive all-carbon ring cluster and graphitic structure growths for PAN/CL. Therefore, we propose PAN/CL as a cost-effective alternative CF precursor, since (a) CL is naturally abundant and eco-friendly for production, (b) the blend precursor PAN/CL does not require oxidation treatment, (c) PAN/CL has a high carbon yield with substantial all-carbon ring formation, and (d) PAN/CL based CFs potentially provide a mechanical property enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Mao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Siavash Rajabpour
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Mahdi Khajeh Talkhoncheh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Jiadeng Zhu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Malgorzata Kowalik
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Adri C T van Duin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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Robertson M, Güillen Obando A, Emery J, Qiang Z. Multifunctional Carbon Fibers from Chemical Upcycling of Mask Waste. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:12278-12287. [PMID: 35449951 PMCID: PMC9016816 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Over the past years, disposable masks have been produced in unprecedented amounts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their increased use imposes significant strain on current waste management practices including landfilling and incineration. This results in large volumes of discarded masks entering the environment as pollutants, and alternative methods of waste management are required to mitigate the negative effects of mask pollution. While current recycling methods can supplement conventional waste management, the necessary processes result in a product with downgraded material properties and a loss of value. This work introduces a simple method to upcycle mask waste into multifunctional carbon fibers through simple steps of thermal stabilization and pyrolysis. The pre-existed fibrous structure of polypropylene masks can be directly converted into carbonaceous structures with high degrees of carbon yield, that are inherently sulfur-doped, and porous in nature. The mask-derived carbon product demonstrates potential use in multiple applications such as for Joule heating, oil adsorption, and the removal of organic pollutants from aqueous environments. We believe that this process can provide a useful alternative to conventional waste management by converting mask waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic into a product with enhanced value.
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Chen G, Zhu X, Liao Q, Chen R, Ye D, Liu M, Wang K. A novel structured foam microreactor with controllable gas and liquid flow paths: Hydrodynamics and nitrobenzene conversion. Chem Eng Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2020.116004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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