I.C. Nlebedim, K. Islam, H-W Noh, A. Karati, A. Sakar, P. Shrotriya
Ames National Laboratory,
United States
Keywords: graphite, polymer recycling, polymer upcycling, laser transformation
Summary:
In this presentation, we will report a novel and transformative approach to converting polymeric waste materials into high-quality graphite through laser irradiation. This innovative process offers a facile, scalable, and energy-efficient method for the direct conversion of various polymeric wastes into high-value graphitic materials with exceptional physicochemical properties. By addressing the challenge of polymeric waste management, our technique provides a sustainable pathway for upcycling waste into functional materials for advanced technological applications. We have successfully applied this method to a broad range of polymeric materials, including printed circuit boards (PCBs), plant-derived biopolymers, and polyimide films. The laser-induced graphitization process produces graphitic materials with tunable structural and chemical properties, which we have further functionalized with nanoparticles to enhance their versatility. These functionalized graphitic materials exhibit promising performance characteristics, making them suitable for a wide array of applications such as electrocatalysis, sensing, and energy storage. The resulting graphitic materials demonstrate high electrical conductivity, a critical property for use in energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. Our findings underscore the potential of this process to simultaneously address global waste challenges and advance the development of sustainable materials for next-generation technologies. The presentation will provide insights into the optimization of the laser graphitization process, its application to diverse waste streams, and the characterization of the resulting materials.