Functional Materials from Used PPEs for Energy Harvesting Applications and their Recycling

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a widely spreading ailment through an upsurge in the number of cases and deaths around the globe after the first positive case was detected in the city of Wuhan, China in the year 2019 in the last month. The biosphere has been confronted with the utmost problematic epidemic of the contemporary age, that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus contamination, which caused coronavirus ailment and affects over 3.5 crore people worldwide. In the battle against COVID-19 disruptions, preventive and mitigating measures are crucial. Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) are an important effective measure against infection. PPEs are pieces of equipment or clothes that a person wears to protect themselves against infectious illnesses. The broad use of material improvements that improve performance and provide adaptable new capabilities has marked a significant change in PPE development. A major shift in PPE development has been the widespread use of material advancements, which enhance performance to provide new capabilities in terms of flexibility and more protectiveness. There are several PPEs that have been extensively developed with the incorporation of functional materials (Graphene Oxide, Carbon nanotubes, TiO2, and Ag Nanoparticles) and polymers including polypropylene, polycarbonate, and poly(ethylene terephthalate), which are providing excellent protection. These functional materials can be of immense use in the domain of energy harvesting and stowage of energy applications obtained from the used PPEs. This typical chapter provides an overview of PPEs, the enhancement of PPEs performance by using functional materials, and the applicability of functional materials from used PPEs in the field of energy storage & harvesting followed by recycling challenges of PPEs. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.