Upcycling of face masks to application-rich multi- and single-walled carbon nanotubes

We report the use of face mask materials as a carbon precursor for the synthesis of multi- and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in an open-loop chemical recycling process. Novel surgical mask precursors were suspended in toluene and injected into a chemical vapor deposition reactor previously o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Carbon Letters 2022-12, Vol.32 (7), p.1681-1688
Main Authors: Gangoli, Varun Shenoy, Mahy, Thomas, Yick, Tim, Niu, Yubiao, Palmer, Richard E., Orbaek White, Alvin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Broadband
Cables
Carbon
Chemical recycling
Chemical vapor deposition
Copper
Electrical resistivity
Ethernet
Fibrils
Liquid injection
Manufacturing
Masks
Multi wall carbon nanotubes
Nanotechnology
Nanotubes
Precursors
Protective equipment
Raman spectroscopy
Scanning electron microscopy
Silicon wafers
Single wall carbon nanotubes
Spectroscopy
Spectrum analysis
Toluene
Transmission electron microscopy
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Summary:We report the use of face mask materials as a carbon precursor for the synthesis of multi- and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in an open-loop chemical recycling process. Novel surgical mask precursors were suspended in toluene and injected into a chemical vapor deposition reactor previously optimized for CNT production using liquid injection. The CNTs were collected and characterized using resonant Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before being turned into fibrils that were tested for electrical conductance. Once confirmed and repeated for statistical accuracy, a CNT-based Ethernet cable was manufactured and tested using iPerf3 for uplink and downlink speeds exceeding broadband standards worldwide. Radial breathing modes from Raman spectroscopy indicate single walled CNTs (SWCNTs) with diameters ranging from 0.8 to 1.55 nm and this matches well with TEM observations of SWCNTs with 1.5 nm diameter. This work pushes the horizon of feedstocks useful for CNT and SWCNT production in particular; this work demonstrates upcycling of materials fated for disposal into materials with positive net value and plenty of real-world applications.
ISSN:1976-4251
2233-4998
DOI:10.1007/s42823-022-00398-8