Sustainable and untethered soft robots created using printable and recyclable ferromagnetic fibers

Integrated printing of magnetic soft robots with complex structures using recyclable materials to achieve sustainability of the soft robots remains a persistent challenge.Here,we propose a kind of ferromagnetic fibers that can be used to print soft robots with complex structures.These ferromagnetic fibers are recyclable and can make soft robots sustainable.The ferromagnetic fibers based on thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU)/NdFeB hybrid particles are extruded by an extruder.We use a desktop three-dimensional(3D)printer to demonstrate the feasibility of printing two-dimensional(2D)and complex 3D soft robots.These printed soft robots can be recycled and reprinted into new robots once their tasks are completed.Moreover,these robots show almost no difference in actuation capability compared to prior versions and have new functions.Successful applications include lifting,grasping,and moving objects,and these functions can be operated untethered wirelessly.In addition,the locomotion of the magnetic soft robot in a human stomach model shows the prospect of medical applications.Overall,these fully recyclable ferromagnetic fibers pave the way for printing and reprinting sustainable soft robots while also effectively reducing e-waste and robotics waste materials,which is important for resource conservation and environmental protection.

Fully Recyclable Liquid Metal-Based Ultra-St retch able Electronics Enabled by Water-Modulation-Degradation-Reconstruction Polymer-Gel

The rapid development of stretchable electronics made by circuits,microchips,and encapsulation elastomers has caused the production of a large amount of electronic waste(e-waste).The degradation of elastomers can highly minimize the negative effects of e-wastes.However,chemicals that included acid,alkali,and organics were repeatedly used during the recycling process,which were environmentally unfriendly.Here,a water-modulation-degradation-reconstruction(WDR)polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)-honey composite(PHC)polymer-gel was developed and could be regarded as encapsulation elastomers to realize a fully recyclable water-degradable stretchable(WS)electronics with multi-functions.The stretchability of the PHC polymer-gel could be modulated by the change of its water retention.The Chip-integrated liquid metal(LM)circuits encapsulated with the modulated PHC encapsulation elastomer could withstand a strain value of~3000%.Moreover,we developed a WS biomedical sensor composed of PHC encapsulation elastomer,LM circuits,and microchips,which could be fully recycled by biodegrading it in water to reconstruct a new one.As before,the reconstructed WS biomedical sensor could still simultaneously realize the combination of ultra-stretchability,recycling,self-healing,self-adhesive,and self-conformal abilities.The results revealed that this study exercises a profound influence on the rational design of multi-functional WS electronics.

Recyclable Technology of Thermosetting Resins for High Thermal Conductivity Materials Based on Physical Crushing

Epoxy resin,characterized by prominent mechanical and electric-insulation properties,is the preferred material for packaging power electronic devices.Unfortunately,the efficient recycling and reuse of epoxy materials with thermally cross-linked molecular structures has become a daunting challenge.Here,we propose an economical and operable recycling strategy to regenerate waste epoxy resin into a high-performance material.Different particle size of waste epoxy micro-spheres(100–600μm)with core-shell structure is obtained through simple mechanical crushing and boron nitride surface treatment.By using smattering epoxy monomer as an adhesive,an eco-friendly composite material with a“brick-wall structure”can be formed.The continuous boron nitride pathway with efficient thermal conductivity endows eco-friendly composite materials with a preeminent thermal conductivity of 3.71 W m^(−1)K^(−1) at a low content of 8.5 vol%h-BN,superior to pure epoxy resin(0.21 W m^(−1)K^(−1)).The composite,after secondary recycling and reuse,still maintains a thermal conductivity of 2.12 W m^(−1)K^(−1) and has mechanical and insulation properties comparable to the new epoxy resin(energy storage modulus of 2326.3 MPa and breakdown strength of 40.18 kV mm^(−1)).This strategy expands the sustainable application prospects of thermosetting polymers,offering extremely high economic and environmental value.

Recyclable polymer functionalization via end-group modification and block/random copolymerization

Recyclable polymers offer a great opportunity to address the environmental issues of plastics.Herein,functionalization of recyclable polymers,poly((R)-3,4-trans six-membered ring-fused GBL)(P((R)-M)),were reported via end-group modifications and block/random copolymerizations.Di-n-butylmagnesium was selected to catalyze ring-opening polymerization(ROP)of(R)-M in the presence of a series of functional alcohols as the initiators.Block/random copolymerizations of(R)-M andε-caprolactone(ε-CL),L-lactide(L-LA)and trimethylene carbonate(TMC)were performed to control the onset decomposition temperature(T_(d)),melting temperature(T_(m))and glass transition temperature(T_(g)).These functionalized recyclable polymers would find broad applications as the sustainable plastics.

One-pot green mass production of hierarchically porous carbon via a recyclable salt-templating strategy

Porous carbon materials have exhibited a series of promising applications in supercapacitors and other research fields,yet still confronting the complicated synthetic procedures and massive usage of toxic reagents.Herein,we propose a green and one-pot method to produce heteroatomdoped hierarchical porous carbon materials in large-scale without any toxic reagents employed.Eventually,the as-prepared nitrogen-doped porous carbon(NPC)displays a high specific surface area of 2018 m^(2)g^(-1)together with abundant heteroatom dopants(14.8 wt%O and 1.03 wt%N).The potassium carbonate template can be recycled via a simple rinsing and re-precipitation process.Furthermore,the as-prepared nitrogen-doped porous carbon delivers a high specific capacitance of 361 F g^(-1)at 0.5 A g^(-1)and excellent rate capability of 240 F g^(-1)at 20 A g^(-1)(66.5%capacitance retention).Finally,considering the low-price raw materials and facile green synthesis procedure,the present approach can be easily scalable to prepare biomass-derived heteroatoms doped porous carbon,which is not only applicable for supercapacitor but also for other research fields.

1,4-Hydroquinone is a Hydrogen Reservoir for Fuel Cells and Recyclable via Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Photocatalytic splitting of water was carried out in a two-phase system. Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide was used as photocatalyst and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III)/(II) as electron transporter. Generated hydrogen was chemically stored by use of a 1,4-benzoquinone/1,4-hydroquinone system, which was used as a recyclable fuel in a commercialised direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The electrical output of the cell was about half compared to methanol. The conversion process for water splitting and recombination in a fuel cell was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy and compared to a simulated spectrum. Products of side reactions, which lead to a decrease of the overall efficiency, were identified based on UV-Vis investigations. A proof of principle for the use of quinoide systems as a recyclable hydrogen storage system in a photocatalytic water splitting and fuel cell cyclic process was given.

TiO_2/Ag composite nanowires for a recyclable surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate

Multifunctional TiO2/Ag composite nanowires are fabricated with a hydrothermal method by precipitating Ag nanoparticles （NPs） on the surfaces of TiO2 nanowires. This hierarchical one-dimensional （1D） nanostructure can be used as a surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） substrate with high sensitivity, for detecting the rhodamine 6G （R6G） in a wide range of low concentrations （from 1 × 10 6 M to 1 × 10-12 M）. In addition, the substrate can be self-cleaned under the irradiation of ultraviolet （UV） light due to the superior photocatalytic capacity of the TiO2/Ag composite nanostructure, making the recycled use of SERS substrates closer to reality. With both the evident SERS performance and high efficiency of photocatalytic capacity, such TiOz/Ag composite nanowires demonstrate considerable potential in the chemical sensing of organic pollutants.

Household Waste Reduction Effect of Sorted Collection of Recyclable Waste in Japan

The purpose of this study is to analyze the household waste reduction effect of sorted collection of recyclable waste in Japan using a panel data analysis, which considers time-series and cross-section data simultaneously. Also, the study shows the effect of the type of sorted items on the quantity of household waste disposed. We used the data attained from 103 cities recorded over three years, and applied the quantity of total waste disposed, the quantity of combustible waste, the quantity of other waste （waste excluding combustible and recyclable waste）, and the quantity of combustible plus other waste as objective variables, respectively, in the models. The result suggests that when the number of sorted items is increased marginally, the quantity of household waste decreases by about 0.5%-3.3% or 1.28-4.17 grams per capita per day. In addition, it is shown that sorting out white trays is effective in reducing the quantity of combustible waste. Sorting out paper containers and packages is also effective in reducing the quantity of other waste and combustible plus other waste.

Recyclable Cyclohexanediamine Derivatives as Organocatalysts: Organocatalytic Reduction with Trichlorosilane and Aldol Reaction

Reduction of ketimine with trichlorosilane was carried out using bisformamide catalyst 1a derived from cyclohexanediamine to give the corresponding product in 81% yield with 39% ee. Deprotection of the formyl groups of the catalysts 1 gave the corresponding diamines 2 which were utilized in aldol reaction of acetone with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde. The reaction using 2b in brine afforded the aldol adduct in 81% yield with 29% ee.

Reshapeable,rehealable and recyclable sensor fabricated by direct ink writing of conductive composites based on covalent adaptable network polymers

Covalent adaptable network(CAN)polymers doped with conductive nanoparticles are an ideal candidate to create reshapeable,rehealable,and fully recyclable electronics.On the other hand,3D printing as a deterministic manufacturing method has a significant potential to fabricate electronics with low cost and high design freedom.In this paper,we incorporate a conductive composite consisting of polyimine CAN and multi-wall carbon nanotubes into direct-ink-writing 3D printing to create polymeric sensors with outstanding reshaping,repairing,and recycling capabilities.The developed printable ink exhibits good printability,conductivity,and recyclability.The conductivity of printed polyimine composites is investigated at different temperatures and deformation strain levels.Their shape-reforming and Joule heating-induced interfacial welding effects are demonstrated and characterized.Finally,a temperature sensor is 3D printed with defined patterns of conductive pathways,which can be easily mounted onto 3D surfaces,repaired after damage,and recycled using solvents.The sensing capability of printed sensors is maintained after the repairing and recycling.Overall,the 3D printed reshapeable,rehealable,and recyclable sensors possess complex geometry and extend service life,which assist in the development of polymer-based electronics toward broad and sustainable applications.

Efficient and recyclable Rh-catalytic system with involvement of phosphine-functionalized phosphonium-based ionic liquids for tandem hydroformylation—acetalization

The phosphine-functionalized phosphonium-based ionic liquids(dppm-Q, dppe-Q, dppp-Q and dppb-Q) as the bi-functional ligands enable the efficient one-pot tandem hydroformylationeacetalization. It was found that, in dppm-Q, dppe-Q, dppp-Q and dppb-Q, the incorporated phosphino-fragments were responsible for Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation and the phosphoniums were in charge of the subsequent acetalization as the Lewis acid catalysts. Moreover, the diphosphonium-based ionic liquid of dppb-DQ could be applied as a co-solvent to immobilize the Rh/dppb-Q catalytic system with the advantages of the improved catalytic performance, the available catalyst recyclability, and the wide generality for the substrates.

Recyclable Fe_(3)O_(4)@Polydopamine(PDA) nanofluids for highly efficient solar evaporation

Volumetric solar evaporations by using light-absorbing nanoparticles suspended in liquids(nanofluids)as solar absorbers have been widely regarded as one of the promising solutions for clean water production because of its high efficiency and low capital cost compared to traditional solar distillation systems.Nevertheless,previous solar evaporation systems usually required highly concentrated solar irradiation and high capital cost,limiting the practical application on a large scale.Herein,for the first time in this work,polydopamine(PDA)-capped nano Fe_(3)O_(4)(Fe_(3)O_(4)@PDA)nanofluids were used as solar absorbers in a volumetric system for solar evaporation.The introduction of organic PDA to nano Fe_(3)O_(4)highly contributed to the high light-absorbing capacity of over 85%in wide ranges of 200–2400 nm because of the existence of numerous carbon bonds and pi(π)bonds in PDA.As a result,high evaporation efficiency of 69.93%under low irradiation of 1.0 kW m^(-2)was achieved.Compared to other nanofluids,Fe_(3)O_(4)@PDA nanofluids also provided an advantage in high unit evaporation rates.Moreover,Fe_(3)O_(4)@PDA nanofluids showed excellent reusability and recyclability owing to the preassembled nano Fe_(3)O_(4),which significantly reduced the material consumptions.These results demonstrated that the Fe_(3)O_(4)@PDA nanofluids held great promising application in highly efficient solar evaporation.

Catalytic activity of recyclable resorcinarene-protected antibacterial Pd nanoparticles in C-C coupling reactions

Novel tetra-methoxy resorcinarene tetra-hydrazide（TMRTH） has been synthesized and used as a reducing agent and a capping agent for the synthesis of water-dispersible stable palladium nanoparticles（PdNPs）.The TMRTH-PdNPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,and powder X-ray diffraction.The synthesized nanoparticles are polydispersible with a size of 5 ± 2 nm and were found to be recyclable over five cycles maintaining a catalytic activity in the Suzuki-Miyuara cross-coupling reaction.The nanocatalyst was superior in catalytic performance to conventional palladium catalysts with respect to reaction time,catalyst loading and recyclability.TMRTH-PdNPs show promise for their use in biological applications as they exhibit good antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria.

Focus-RCNet:a lightweight recyclable waste classification algorithm based on focus and knowledge distillation

Waste pollution is a significant environmental problem worldwide.With the continuous improvement in the living standards of the population and increasing richness of the consumption structure,the amount of domestic waste generated has increased dramatically,and there is an urgent need for further treatment.The rapid development of artificial intelligence has provided an effective solution for automated waste classification.However,the high computational power and complexity of algorithms make convolutional neural networks unsuitable for real-time embedded applications.In this paper,we propose a lightweight network architecture called Focus-RCNet,designed with reference to the sandglass structure of MobileNetV2,which uses deeply separable convolution to extract features from images.The Focus module is introduced to the field of recyclable waste image classification to reduce the dimensionality of features while retaining relevant information.To make the model focus more on waste image features while keeping the number of parameters small,we introduce the SimAM attention mechanism.In addition,knowledge distillation was used to further compress the number of parameters in the model.By training and testing on the TrashNet dataset,the Focus-RCNet model not only achieved an accuracy of 92%but also showed high deployment mobility.

Viscoelastic and Thermal Properties of Polyurethane Foams Obtained from Renewable and Recyclable Components

This article deals with the study of the viscoelastic and thermal properties of polyurethane (PU) rigid foamsfrom biobased and recycled components. Rapeseed oil (RO) and recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) were used to synthesize PU polyols. Addition of adipic acid (ADA) to polyol resulted in improvedthermal and viscoelastic properties of foam materials. ADA content was varied from 1 to 6 wt%. Results ofthe dynamic mechanical spectra indicate an increase of the storage modulus E′ and the loss modulus E″ inthe whole temperature range for specimens with higher loading of ADA. In addition, damping factor shiftedto higher temperatures, but damping intensity remained almost unaffected by the compositions. Scanningelectron microscopy of the foams’ cross sections testified that the average cells’ size of 110 mm was unaffectedby the ADA content in polyol.

Analysis of Problems and Countermeasures about Recyclables Study on PET Bottles and Used Batteries

Advances in technology make full use of recyclable material as possible, so the efficient recovery of Recyclable material can avoid a lot of energy waste. This paper takes the PET plastic bottles and waste battery as an example, simple analyses the current situation of China＇ s processing Recyclable substance and development trend, and compared with the foreign outstanding cases, finally proposes the solution

Reversibly Cross-Linking Polyimide and Cyclophosphazene Toward Closed-Loop Recyclable Plastics with High Mechanical Strength,Excellent Flame Retardancy,and Chemical Resistance

Traditional flame-retardant plastics are technically difficult to chemically recycle.The development of newtypes of flame-retardant plastics that are intrinsically capable of being closed-loop recycled and are sufficiently robust and stable to satisfy their practical application is urgently needed.In this study,closed-loop recyclable flame-retardant plastics with high mechanical strength and excellent chemical resistance are fabricated by cross-linking amino-terminated polyimide(PI-NH_(2))and aldehyde-terminated cyclophosphazene(CP-CHO)with imine bonds.The resultant flame-retardant plastic,which is denoted as PI-CP,exhibits a tensile strength of∼115.6 MPa,Young’s modulus of∼2.5 GPa,and glass transition temperature of 316°C.In the PI-CP plastic,the imine bonds are isolated within hydrophobic microenvironments generated by the rigid and hydrophobic polyimide chains and the benzene ring of cyclophosphazenes.As a result,the PI-CP plastics are highly stable in highly acidic and basic aqueous solutions and other commonly used organic solvents.The PI-CP plastic shows outstanding flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index value of 48.8%.More importantly,the PI-CP plastic can be depolymerized to generate the original PI-NH_(2)and CPCHO monomers in high yields(∼97%)and purity.The recovered monomers can be used to refabricate the original plastics,establishing highly efficient polymer-monomer-polymer circulation and a sustainable plastics economy.

A recyclable polyurethane with characteristic thermal stiffening behavior via B-N coordination with reversible B-O bonds

Thermal softening is an inevitable process in the physical network.Polyurethane(PU),a typical commercial material,is constructed by physical networks,which undergoes the serious thermal decay on mechanical properties at high temperature.Herein,a physically cross-linked PU with a unique thermal stiffening behavior has been developed by incorporating B–N coordination with reversible B–O bonds.The B–N coordination can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the PU.The reversible B–O bonds(temperature dependent reversible transformation between B–OH and B–O–B)are conducive to constructing more multicoordination macromolecular crosslinking points and more stable B–N coordination bonds at high temperature,endowing the PU with the special thermal stiffening behavior for the first time.Such thermal stiffening behavior compensates for the bond breakage and the network destruction caused by heat,significantly expands the rubbery plateau and delays the entire chain motion of the thermoplastic PU.As a result,the terminal flow occurs at a higher temperature up to 200°C.The modulus retention ratio of the materials is up to 87%even at 145oC,which is much higher than that of the existing PU elastomer with the physical network and even some covalent cross-link PU.Simultaneously,the physical network ensures the recyclability of the PU,and the thermal stiffening behavior is still obtained in recycled PU.This work provides a simple strategy to impart thermal stiffening behavior to the physically crosslinked PU,thereby significantly extending the operating temperature range of thermoplastic PU,which can potentially expand the scopes of PU in applications under harsh conditions.

Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Biorenewable δ-Caprolactone with trans-Hexahydro-(4,5)-benzofuranone toward Closed-Loop Recyclable Copolyesters and Their Application as Pressure- Sensitive Adhesives

Copolymerization as an efficient strategy can provide an opportunity to create new closed-loop recyclable polymeric materials with tailored properties that are generally inaccessible to the individual homopolymers.In this contribution,the bulk ring-opening copolymerization of bio-renewable-caprolactone and trans-hexahydro-(4,5)-benzofuranone was achieved to produce closed-loop recyclable copolyesters by using an organobase/urea binary catalyst at room temperature.The obtained copolyesters exhibited composition-dependent thermal properties.Remarkably,the obtained copolyesters were able to depolymerize back to recover the corresponding monomers under mild conditions.

Recyclable Polypropylene-based Insulation Materials for HVDC Cables:Progress and Perspective

Polypropylene(PP)-based recyclable materials have attracted tremendous interest for HVDC cable insulation applications due to their superior electrical properties,e.g.,high thermal stability and superior recyclability.Compared with crosslinked polyethylene(XLPE),PP-based materials exhibit the advantages of not only higher working temperatures but also facile and efficient cable manufacturing with reduced costs,which are highly desirable in HVDC cable manufacturing.Considering their promising advantages,PP-based materials have received significant attention from both academia and industry in the field of HVDC cable insulation.In order to adopt PP as a cable insulation material,the mechanical flexibility of PP should be improved.However,regulations of the mechanical properties inevitably influences the electrical properties of PP.So extensive research has been conducted on the regulation of the mechanical and electrical properties of PP.This review summarizes the research progress on recyclable PP-based materials for HVDC cable insulation applications.Particular attention is placed on the electrical property regulations and material structure-property relationships.The challenges that remain to be addressed and the opportunities for future studies on PP-based recyclable HVDC cable insulation materials are also presented.