Penn State turns plastic bottles into synthetic lithium-ion battery graphite
Penn State researchers have figured out how to turn old plastic bottles (yep, the ones you toss after a drink) into synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries.
Since graphite is key for powering things like electric vehicles and phones (plastic waste is a huge problem), this discovery could help both the planet and tech.
Researchers create graphite without metal catalysts
The team mixed shredded PET with graphene oxide and heated it up, creating high-quality graphite without using metal catalysts.
Their method made even bigger graphite crystals than what is found in nature.
Lead researcher Shakshi Sekar called the process "a material most people think of as pure waste can actually become a genuinely valuable resource for producing graphite," helping recycling while making better battery materials.