Upcycling of Waste Plastic into Hybrid Carbon Nanomaterials

Graphitic 1D and hybrid nanomaterials represent a powerful solution in composite and electronic applications due to exceptional properties, but large-scale synthesis of hybrid materials has yet to be realized. Here, a rapid, scalable method to produce graphitic 1D materials from polymers using flash Joule heating (FJH) is reported. This avoids lengthy chemical vapor deposition and uses no solvent or water. The flash 1D materials (F1DM), synthesized using a variety of earth-abundant catalysts, have controllable diameters and morphologies by parameter tuning. Furthermore, the process can be modified to form hybrid materials, with F1DM bonded to turbostratic graphene. In nanocomposites, F1DM outperform commercially available carbon nanotubes. Compared to current 1D material synthetic strategies using life cycle assessment, FJH synthesis represents an 86-92% decrease in cumulative energy demand and 92-94% decrease in global-warming potential. This work suggests that FJH affords a cost-effective and sustainable route to upcycle waste plastic into valuable 1D and hybrid nanomaterials.

Automated summary

A rapid and scalable method, using flash Joule heating (FJH), has been developed to produce graphitic 1D materials (F1DM) from polymers. By tuning the parameters, F1DM with controllable diameters and morphologies can be obtained, and hybrid materials with turbostratic graphene can also be synthesized. The F1DM outperform commercially available carbon nanotubes in nanocomposites. Compared to current synthetic strategies, FJH synthesis significantly reduces energy demand and global-warming potential, offering a cost-effective and sustainable route to convert waste plastic into valuable nanomaterials.