A team led by researchers at the University of Washington developed a new PCB that performs on par with traditional materials and can be recycled repeatedly with negligible material loss. Researchers used a solvent that transforms a type of vitrimer—a cutting-edge class of polymer—into a jelly-like substance without damage, allowing solid components to be plucked out for reuse or recycling. Here, from left to right is a vitrimer-based circuit board, a sheet of glass fibers, vitrimer that's been swollen and removed from a board, and electrical components such as a computer chip. Credit: Mark Stone/University of Washington
A recent United Nations report found that the world generated 137 billion pounds of electronic waste in 2022, an 82% increase from 2010. Yet less than a quarter of 2022's e-waste was recycled. While many things impede a sustainable afterlife for electronics, one is that we don't ...
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