New Technique to Recycle Nanowires From E-Waste Unveiled

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The researchers at North Carolina State University unveiled a cost-effective technique for recycling nanowires from end-of-life electronic devices and use them in new devices. The path breaking technology is likely to deliver significant progress towards sustainable electronics.

Using the new technique, the silver nanowire network is separated from the rest of the materials in the device. The network in then disassembled in a solution into a collection of separate silver nanowires. They are then used to create a new network, which could be incorporated into a new sensor or other devices, said Yong Zhu, corresponding author of the paper.

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For demonstration purpose, the researchers removed nanowire network after dissolving the polymer in water. After breaking it down into a collection of individual nanowires, they were used to create a brand-new wearable sensor. According to them, the nanowires could be recycled up to four times without harming the sensor’s performance. Furthermore, the performance of the nanowire network could be further improved by introducing new silver nanowires into the mix.

The same approach could be used to recycle other nanomaterials and other types of nanowires, said Zhu.