In Japan, a team of scientists from Nagoya Institute of Technology found a way to turn fish waste into extremely high-quality Carbon nano-onions (CNOs). The team developed a synthesis route in which fish scales extracted from fish waste after cleaning are converted into CNOs in just seconds through microwave pyrolysis.
The team believes that the process to covert fish scales into CNOs has to do with the collagen contained in fish scales, which can absorb enough microwave radiation to produce a fast rise in temperature. This leads to thermal decomposition or “pyrolysis,” which produces certain gases that support the assembly of CNOs.
To showcase some of the many practical applications of their CNOs, the team demonstrated their use in LEDs and blue-light-emitting thin films. The CNOs produced a highly stable emission, both inside solid devices and when dispersed in various solvents, including water, ethanol, and isopropanol. “The stable optical properties could enable us to fabricate large-area emissive flexible films and LED devices,” said Associate Professor Takashi Shirai.
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