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With the aim of achieving carbon neutrality, new policies to promote electric vehicle (EV) deployment have been announced in various countries. As EV sales gain market-share, the demand for batteries is growing very rapidly, and this has raised concerns about the raw-material supply. Therefore, efficient and environmentally friendly recycling methods for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are mandatory to properly implement circular economy paradigms in this field. Hydrometallurgical recycling methods are characterized by their selectivity, high product purity as well as low energy consumption. In order to accomplish a close-loop recycling method, in this work we propose the use of a deep eutectic solvent (DES) and alginate hydrogels as leaching reagent and adsorbent, respectively, for their reusability, availability and biodegradability. The solubility and thermal stability of a choline chloride-ethylene glycol based DES (choline chloride: ethylene glycol = 1:2) were investigated, 180 °C being regarded as the temperature threshold for this DES, and reaching up to 1.12 gCo L−1 solubility after 8 h leaching. Moreover, the DES can be reused after the eutectic state recreation with a performance over 80 % with respect to the pristine DES. Calcium cross-linked sodium alginate hydrogels, which were immersed in ethylene glycol and dehydrated afterwards, were able to extract cobalt from the leachate with an efficiency of 92 %. The aforementioned hydrogels can be reused after desorption and reach 91 % of the performance of the pristine ones. The DES together with alginate hydrogel brings therefore a highly efficient and reusable close-loop recycling method.

Health initiatives worldwide demand affordable point- of-care devices to aid in the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates of high-incidence infectious and noncommunicable diseases. However, the production of robust and reliable easy-to-use diagnostic platforms showing the ability to quantitatively measure several biomarkers in physiological fluids and that could in turn be decentralized to reach any relevant environment remains a challenge. Here, we show the particular combination of paper-microfluidic technology, electro- chemical transduction, and magnetic nanoparticle-based immunoassay approaches to produce a unique, compact, and easily deployable multiplex device to simultaneously measure interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-a, and myeloperoxidase biomarkers in sputum, developed with the aim of facilitating the timely detection of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The device incorporates an on-chip electrochemical cell array and a multichannel paper component, engineered to be easily aligned into a polymeric cartridge and exchanged if necessary. Calibration curves at clinically relevant biomarker concentration ranges are produced in buffer and artificial sputum. The analysis of sputum samples of healthy individuals and acutely exacerbated patients produces statistically significant biomarker concentration differences between the two studied groups. The device can be mass-produced at a low cost, being an easily adaptable platform for measuring other disease-related target biomarkers., This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) grants PCIN-2016-052 and PCIN-2016-134 and by Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Technologia grant ENMed/0049/2016, through the ERA-NET EuroNanoMed II initiative (LungCheck project). This research was also funded by the European Commision-NextGenerationEU (Regulation EU 2020/2094), through CSIC’s Global Health Platform (PTI). This work used the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABS and was partly supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Bio-based epoxy thermoset resins have been developed from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) cured with tannic acid (TA). These two substances of vegetable origin have been gathering attention due to their accessibility, favorable economic conditions, and convenient chemical functionalization. TA’s suitable high phenolic functionalization has been used to crosslink ESO by adjusting the −OH (from TA):epoxy (from ESO) molar ratio from 0.5:1 to 2.5:1. By means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, resulting in thermosets that evidenced optimal curing properties under moderate conditions (150–160 °C). The thermogravimetric analysis of the cured resins showed thermal stability up to 261 °C, with modulable mechanical and thermal properties determined by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamical mechanical thermal analysis, and tensile testing. Water contact angle measurements (83–87°) and water absorption tests (0.6–4.5 initial weight% intake) were performed to assess the suitability of the resins as waterproof coatings. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were performed to characterize the anti-corrosive capability of these coatings on carbon steel substrates. Excellent barrier properties have been demonstrated due to the high electrical isolation and water impermeability of these oil-based coatings, without signs of deterioration over 6 months of immersion in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. These results demonstrate the suitability of the developed materials as anti-corrosion coatings for specific applications.

The food industry produces millions of tons of natural by-products. Through this study, we followed an environmentally friendly strategy using discards, such as soy protein isolate (SPI) from soya oil production and marine cellulose (Cell) from the agar industry, in order to achieve added-value applications. In particular, this work focuses on the development of membranes based on soy protein and cellulose, and their validation as battery separator membranes toward sustainable energy storage systems. SPI membranes with Cell show excellent compatibility with the electrolyte based on physical interactions. These physical interactions favor the swelling of the membranes, reaching swelling values of 1000% after three days in the liquid electrolyte. The membranes are thermally stable up to 180 °C. After being subjected to the liquid electrolyte, it is observed that the microstructure of the membranes change, but the porous structure is maintained, while the materials remain easy to handle. The ionic conductivity value, lithium transference number and battery performance in cathodic half-cells are ∼ 5.8 mS.cm−1, 0.77, and 112 mAh.g−1 at 1C-rate, respectively. Overall, considering environmental issues and circular economy, it is proven that it is possible to obtain more sustainable high-performance lithium-ion batteries based on waste materials.

This work reports on the development of collagen films with graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO NPs), aiming toward the development of a new generation of functional sustainable sensors. For this purpose, different GO NP contents up to 3 wt % were incorporated into a collagen matrix, and morphological, thermal, mechanical and electrical properties were evaluated. Independently of the GO NP content, all films display an increase in thermal stability as a result of the increase in the structural order of collagen, as revealed by XRD analysis. Further, the inclusion of GO NPs into collagen promotes an increase in the intensity of oxygen characteristic absorption bands in FTIR spectra, due to the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which lead to an increase in the hydrophilic character of the surface. GO NPs also influence the mechanical properties of the composites, increasing the tensile strength from 33.2 ± 2.4 MPa (collagen) to 44.1 ± 1.0 MPa (collagen with 3 wt % GO NPs). Finally, the electrical conductivity also increases slightly with GO NP content, allowing the development of resistive bending sensors.

Considering the sustainable development goals to reduce environmental impact, sustainable sensors based on natural polymers are a priority as the large im plementation of these materials is required considering the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. In this context, the present work reports on sustainable blends based on collagen and different ionic liquids (ILs), including ([Ch][DHP], [Ch][TSI], [Ch][Seri]) and ([Emim][TFSI]), processed with varying contents and types of ILs in order to tailor the electrical response. Varying IL types and contents leads to different interactions with the collagen polymer matrix and, therefore, to varying mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Collagen/[Ch][Seri] samples display the most pronounced decrease of the tensile strength (3.2 ± 0.4 MPa) and an increase of the elongation at break (50.6 ± 1.5%). The best ionic conductivity value of 0.023 mS cm–1 has been obtained for the sample with 40 wt % of the IL [Ch][Seri]. The functional response of the collagen–IL films has been demonstrated on a resistive touch sensor whose response depends on the ionic conductivity, being suitable for the next generation of sustainable touch sensing devices.