The battle against the COVID-19 pandemic counters the waste management system, as billions of single-use face masks are used per day all over the world. Proper disposal of used face masks without jeopardizing the health and the environment is a challenge. Herein, a novel method for recycling of medical face masks has been studied. This method incorporates the nonwoven polypropylene (PP) fiber, which is taken off from the mask after disinfecting it, with acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) using maleic anhydride as the compatibilizer, which results in a PP−NBR blend with a high percentage economy. The PP−NBR blends show enhanced thermomechanical properties among which, 70 wt % PP content shows superior properties compared to other composites with 40, 50, and 60 wt % of PP. The fully Atomistic simulation of PP-NBR blend with compatibilizer shows an improved tensile and barrier properties, which is in good agreement with the experimental studies. The molecular dynamics simulation confirms that the compatibility between non-polar PP and polar NBR phases are vitally important for increasing the interfacial adhesion and impeding the phase separation.

In the present era, different allotropes of carbon have been discovered, and graphene is the one among them that has contributed to many breakthroughs in research. It has been considered a promising candidate in the research and academic fields, as well as in industries, over the last decade. It has many properties to be explored, such as an enhanced specific surface area and beneficial thermal and electrical conductivities. Graphene is arranged as a 2D structure by organizing sp2 hybridized C with alternative single and double bonds, providing an extended conjugation combining hexagonal ring structures to form a honeycomb structure. The precious structure and outstanding characteristics are the major reason that modern industry relies heavily on graphene, and it is predominantly applied in electronic devices. Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) foremostly utilize graphene as an anode or a cathode, and are combined with polymers to use them as polymer electrolytes. After three decades of commercialization of the lithium-ion battery, it still leads in consumer electronic society due to its higher energy density, wider operating voltages, low self-discharge, noble high-temperature performance, and fewer maintenance requirements. In this review, we aim to give a brief review of the domination of graphene and its applications in LIBs.

Greener methods for the extraction and isolation of tannin, and it's state of art in adhesive technology.

No abstract

Photoanode activity of nanoparticles of α-Bi2O3 in a DSSC is checked with two different dyes by considering the attachment of the dye on to the metal oxide surface and its effects on back recombination at the electrode–electrolyte interface.