Trash into Treasure: Value-Added composites from waste plastic packaging and carbon nanotubes

IF 7.9 3区材料科学 Q1 GREEN & SUSTAINABLE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Materials Today Sustainability Pub Date : 2025-10-02 DOI:10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101231

Kit O'Rourke , Christopher Griffin , Keith Doyle , Muhammad Waqas , Paula Douglas , Bronagh Millar , Dipa Ray

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This work explores the use of low-value packaging film-based waste mixed plastics (wMP) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) to produce value-added composites. The performance of the composites is assessed through mechanical testing, UV ageing, and electrical conductivity measurement. Reinforcing wMP with 5 wt% CNT increased the tensile strength and tensile modulus by 46 % and 23 %, respectively. There were similar increases in flexural modulus (53 %), compressive strength (131 %), and compressive modulus (89 %) compared to unreinforced wMP. UV ageing for 500 h had no measurable effect on unreinforced wMP but decreased the flexural modulus of wMP/5 wt% CNT by 23 %. An average electrical conductivity of 1.65 × 10⁻² S/m was measured for wMP/CNT, with unreinforced wMP showing no measurable electrical conductivity, as expected. This research provides valuable scientific insights into the application of mixed waste plastics in composites, aiding the creation of a more circular economy for plastic waste and leading to second-generation products with a wide range of potential applications.

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垃圾变废为宝：废塑料包装和碳纳米管的增值复合材料

这项工作探讨了使用低价值的包装薄膜为基础的废混合塑料（wMP）和碳纳米管（CNT）来生产增值复合材料。复合材料的性能是通过机械测试、紫外线老化和电导率测量来评估的。用5 wt%碳纳米管增强wMP，拉伸强度和拉伸模量分别提高46%和23%。与未加固的wMP相比，抗弯模量（53%）、抗压强度（131%）和抗压模量（89%）也有类似的增加。紫外线老化500小时对未增强的wMP没有可测量的影响，但wMP/5 wt% CNT的弯曲模量降低了23%。wMP/CNT的平均电导率为1.65 × 10−2 S/m，未增强的wMP没有显示可测量的电导率，正如预期的那样。这项研究为混合废塑料在复合材料中的应用提供了有价值的科学见解，有助于为塑料废物创造更循环的经济，并导致具有广泛潜在应用的第二代产品。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Materials Today Sustainability Multiple-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

6.40%

发文量

174

审稿时长

32 days

期刊介绍： Materials Today Sustainability is a multi-disciplinary journal covering all aspects of sustainability through materials science. With a rapidly increasing population with growing demands, materials science has emerged as a critical discipline toward protecting of the environment and ensuring the long term survival of future generations.