Mechanochemically functionalized waste plastics for NO<sub>2</sub> sensing.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42034622.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-72492-8.
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Abstract
Low-entropy non-depolymerizing upcycling of waste plastics into value-added products is promising, as it can avoid energy-intensive depolymerization process. Here, we report a mechanochemical approach for the direct functionalization of plastics with polyoxometalate (POM) molecules. The resulting POM-plastic composites retain integrated plastic chains and exhibit strong potential for NO<sub>2</sub> sensing. Among the composites, phosphotungstic acid/polyethylene terephthalate (PW<sub>12</sub>-PET) achieves a low limit of detection (10.52 ppb) and fast response/recovery times (19.2 s/13.5 s at 5.0 ppm), and shows practical applicability after device assembly. Moreover, it exhibits high selectivity against ten interfering gases. Mechanistic studies reveal that PET transfers multiple charges to PW<sub>12</sub>. It not only activates new bridge-oxygen sites on PW<sub>12</sub> but also maintains a moderate adsorption strength, enabling rapid NO<sub>2</sub> response. This work represents a promising example of direct non-depolymerizing upcycling of waste plastics into value-added functional materials.