Abstract
Plastic waste causes severe environmental hazards, owing to inadequate disposal and limited recycling. Under the framework of circular economy, there are urgent demands to valorize plastic waste more safely and sustainably. Therefore, much scientific interest has been witnessed recently in plastic waste‐derived electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), where the plastic waste acts as a cost‐effective and easily available precursor for the carbon backbone. The ORR is not only a key efficiency indicator for fuel cells and metal–air batteries but also a major obstacle for their commercial realization. The applicability of the aforementioned electrochemical devices is limited, owing to sluggish ORR activity and expensive platinum‐group metal electrocatalysts. However, waste‐derived ORR electrocatalysts are emerging as a potential substitute that could be inexpensively fabricated upon the conversion of plastic waste into active materials containing earth‐abundant transition metals. In this Minireview, very recent research developments regarding plastic waste‐derived ORR electrocatalysts are critically summarized with a prime focus on the followed synthesis routes, physicochemical properties of the derived electrocatalysts, and their ultimate electrochemical performance. Finally, the prospects for the future development of plastic waste‐derived electrocatalysts are discussed.
Highlights
The unique combination of physicochemical properties and structural versatility offered by synthetic polymers make them one of the most diffuse classes of advanced materials
Passaponti et al pioneered the transformation of scrap tires into economical platinum-group metals (PGMs)-free oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts through simple microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) and analyzed the effect of annealing treatment under static air.[85]
In this Minireview, the most recent studies related to PGM-free electrocatalysts for ORR derived from waste plastics were critically summarized
Summary
The unique combination of physicochemical properties and structural versatility offered by synthetic polymers make them one of the most diffuse classes of advanced materials. Till significant research has been conducted in the arena of waste-derived ORR electrocatalysts but it is more inclined towards biomass waste.[53,54,55,56] Plastic waste is more problematic due to its slow degradation; whereas, being composed of carbon as the main component, it can act as a widely available precursor for the fabrication of PGM-free electrocatalysts in the most cost-effective way This Minireview groups all the recent advancements done in the synthesis of PGM-free electrocatalysts, starting from waste plastic as an Mohsin Muhyuddin obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E) from the Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad, Pakistan in 2016. Emphasis is put on the possibility of transforming waste into a valuable product within the circular economy paradigm
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