Recent advancements in the use of plastics as a carbon source for carbon nanotubes synthesis - A review.

Plastics, which majorly consist of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc., are the most abundant municipal solid wastes (MSW). They have been utilized as a cheap carbon feedstock in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) because of their high hydrocarbon content, mainly carbon and hydrogen, especially for the polyolefins.

Corn Cob Char as Catalyst Support for Developing Carbon Nanotubes from Waste Polypropylene Plastics: Comparison of Activation Techniques.

The future and continuity of nanomaterials are heavily dependent on their availability and affordability. This could be achieved when cheap materials are actively employed as starting materials for nanomaterials synthesis. In this study, waste corn cob char was used as support during the preparation of the NiMo catalyst, and the effect of different char-activating techniques on the microstructure, yield and quality of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) obtained from waste polypropylene (PP) plastics using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique was investigated.