Carbon nanotube membranes made from plastic bags

The nanotechnology is derived from non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags to make carbon nanotube membranes, which have a variety of potential advanced applications including filtration, sensing, energy storage and a range of biomedical innovations.

‘Non-biodegradable plastic bags are a serious menace to natural ecosystems and present a problem in terms of disposal,’ said Prof Dusan Losic, ARC Future Fellow and Research Professor of Nanotechnology in the University’s School of Chemical Engineering.

‘Transforming these waste materials through ‘nanotechnological recycling’ provides a potential solution for minimising environmental pollution at the same time as producing high-added value products.’

Carbon nanotubes are 1nm diameter cylinders of carbon atoms and are the strongest and stiffest materials yet discovered. Their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal and transport properties present exciting opportunities for research and development and they are already used in industries including in electronics, sports equipment, long-lasting batteries, sensing devices and wind turbines.

The University of Adelaide’s Nanotech Research Group has grown the carbon nanotubes onto nanoporous alumina membranes. They used pieces of grocery plastic bags which were vaporised in a furnace to produce carbon layers that line the pores in the membrane to make the carbon nanotubes.