Using problematic electronic waste to synthesise high-purity nanomaterials can enable sustainable production and create opportunities to divert waste from landfills. Reported here is a simple strategy for the controllable synthesis of in situ NiO doped CuO nanoflakes from waste flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) using a chemothermal microrecycling process, and the nanomaterial is then utilised for an ammonia (NH3) sensor at room temperature. Characterisation of the nanoflakes confirmed the purity of the CuO phase with a monoclinic structure without the formation of the Cu2O phase. The NiO doped CuO 2D nanoflakes made of an assembly of 1D nanorods with a high surface area of 115.703 m2 g-1 are selectively synthesised from the waste FPCBs and have outstanding gas sensing characteristics such as a high response, a fast response (11.7 s) and a recovery time of (21.5 s), good stability, and superior selectivity towards 200 ppm of NH3 gas at room temperature (RT, 20 °C). From a broader perspective, the process opens up exciting new avenues explore the production of toxic gas sensing functional materials from toxic and problematic waste.
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.