Many different types of nanoparticles have been developed for photothermal therapy (PTT), but directly comparing their efficacy as heaters and determining how they will perform when localized at depth...

Solar-powered innovation has shown year-long stability with zero utility energy costs, thanks to a new type of photothermal material.

A green fabrication process and 810-nm LED illumination show how safer chemistry and accessible tools could reshape photothermal cancer therapy.

IN A NUTSHELL 🌞 China has achieved a breakthrough in solar technology with a new photothermal cocrystal named CBC. 🚀 The CBC cocrystal boasts an impressive 67% photothermal conversion efficiency, posi...

A photothermal, nanoparticle-based deep brain stimulation system restored motor skills in mice with Parkinson’s-like disease

FILM is a mid-infrared photothermal microscopy variant that involves optical boxcar demodulation-based illumination, denoising and spectral deconvolution. Its relatively gentle nature allows imaging o...

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polystyrene (PS) are among the least recycled plastics. In this work, we developed a simple and novel strategy to valorize PVC and PS plastics via photothermal conversio...

Photothermal conversion can promote plastic depolymerization (chemical recycling to a monomer) through light-to-heat conversion. The highly localized temperature gradient near the photothermal agent surface allows selective heating with spatial control not observed with bulk pyrolysis. However, identifying and incorporating practical photothermal agents into plastics for end-of-life depolymerization have not been realized. Interestingly, plastics containing carbon black as a pigment present an ideal opportunity for photothermal conversion recycling. Herein, we use visible light to depolymerize polystyrene plastics into styrene monomers by using the dye in commercial black plastics. A model system is evaluated by synthesizing polystyrene–carbon black composites and depolymerizing under white LED light irradiation, producing styrene monomer in up to 60% yield. Excitingly, unmodified postconsumer black polystyrene samples are successfully depolymerized to a styrene monomer without adding catalysts or solvents. Using focused solar irradiation, yields up to 80% are observed in just 5 min. Furthermore, combining multiple types of polystyrene plastics with a small percentage of black polystyrene plastic enables full depolymerization of the mixture. This simple method leverages existing plastic additives to actualize a closed-loop economy of all-colored plastics.

Photothermal conversion can promote plastic depolymerization (chemical recycling to a monomer) through light-to-heat conversion. The highly localized temperature gradient near the photothermal agent s...

A green fabrication process and 810-nm LED illumination show how safer chemistry and accessible tools could reshape photothermal cancer therapy.

A solar fluidic wearable suit can use sweat to produce fresh water, power, and information around the body.