Cited by 14Graphene research and applicationsLaser Material Processing TechniquesLaser-Ablation Synthesis of Nanoparticles

Upgrading Polyolefin Plastic Waste into Multifunctional Porous Graphene using Silicone‐Assisted Direct Laser Writing

Qu, Menglong, Guo, Yani, Cai, Yahan, Nie, Zhengwei, Zhang, Cheng·2024·Small

Abstract

The widespread use of plastics, especially polyolefin including polyethylene and polypropylene, has led to severe environmental crises. Chemical recycling, a promising solution for extracting value from plastic waste, however, is underutilized due to its complexity. Here, a simple approach, silicone‐assisted direct laser writing (SA‐DLW) is developed, to upgrade polyolefin plastic waste into multifunctional porous graphene, called laser‐induced graphene (LIG). This method involves infiltrating polyolefins with silicone, which retards ablation during the DLW process and supplies additional carbon atoms, as confirmed by experimental and molecular dynamic results. A remarkable conversion yield of 38.3% is achieved. The upgraded LIG exhibited a porous structure and high conductivity, which is utilized for the fabrication of diverse energy and electronic devices with commendable performance. Furthermore, the SA‐DLW technique is versatile for upgrading plastic waste in various types and forms. Upgrading plastic waste in the form of fabric has significantly simplified pre‐treatment. Finally, a wearable flex sensor is fabricated on the non‐woven fabric of a discarded medical mask, which is applied for gesture monitoring. This work offers a simple but effective solution to upgrade plastic waste into valuable products, contributing to the mitigation of environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution.

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Crossref · 10.1002/smll.202310273

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71 of 71 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Silicone-assisted direct laser writing is a universal technology that can treat various forms of plastic waste, providing an effective path for high-value conversion of plastic waste.

    “This is a universal technology that can be used to treat various forms of plastic waste, providing an effective path for high-value conversion of plastic waste.”
  • Infiltrating silicone into polyolefin delays laser ablation and provides an additional carbon source, a mechanism validated by molecular dynamics simulations and experiments.

    “By infiltrating silicone into the polyolefin, this technique effectively delays the laser ablation process and provides an additional carbon source, a mechanism validated by molecular dynamics simulations and experiments.”
  • The resulting laser-induced graphene possesses a porous structure and excellent conductivity, making it suitable for high-performance energy storage and sensing devices.

    “The resulting LIG possesses a porous structure and excellent conductivity, making it suitable for constructing high-performance energy storage and sensing devices (Fig. 8b).”
  • Qu and colleagues developed a silicone-assisted direct laser writing technique that converts polyolefin waste plastics into porous laser-induced graphene with conversion rates ranging from 33.1% to 55.8%.

    “Qu and colleagues developed a silicone-assisted direct laser writing (SA-DLW) technique to achieve efficient conversion of polyolefin waste plastics into porous laser-induced graphene (LIG), with conversion rates ranging from 33.1% to 55.8% [103] .”

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Authors
Qu, M., Guo, Y., Cai, Y., Nie, Z., & Zhang, C.
Affiliations
  • Nanjing Agricultural University (CN)
  • Sinopec (China) (CN)
  • Nanjing Tech University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Nie, Zhengwei
  • Zhang, Cheng
Venue
Small
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2024-05-25
Volume
20
Issue
38
Pages
e2310273-e2310273
ISSN
  • 1613-6810 (ISSN-L)
  • 1613-6829
OpenAlex
W4399018232
Cited by
14
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4
FWCI
1.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Small (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (62101267;52206257)
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (KYCYXT2022015)
  • Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Fund (CX(22)3118)
  • China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M721639)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20200686)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Graphene research and applications
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Laser Material Processing Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Laser-Ablation Synthesis of Nanoparticles
Keywords
laser-induced graphene, chemical recycling, polyethylene, polypropylene, porous graphene, plastic waste upcycling, nonwoven fabrics, molecular dynamics simulation, plastic pollution

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