Researchers use lead recycled from car batteries to make photodetectors
As lithium-ion batteries continue to decrease in price, they are quickly replacing the lead-acid batteries traditionally used in cars and other vehicles. This is creating a sudden abundance of used lead-acid batteries, which ...
"We believe this recycling strategy could significantly reduce the lead pollution resulting from waste lead-acid batteries, which is important to the environment," said research team leader Longxing Su from Southern University of Science and Technology in China. "The photodetectors promote the recycling economy by creating a market for recycled lead. They can be used for a variety of applications including optical communication, chemical analysis and imaging."
In the journal Optics Letters, Su and colleagues describe their process for extracting lead from discarded lead-acid batteries and then using it to synthesize lead(II)iodide (PbI2) microcrystals suitable for use in photodetectors.
"The recycled PbI2 microcrystals exhibit the quality and purity levels necessary for making photodetectors," said Su. "We also show that the microcrystals can be used to make photodetectors with excellent stability, repeatability and fast response speeds."
Researchers developed an environmentally friendly method to turn lead from used lead acid batteries into photodetectors operating in the UV-visible band. They created lead(II)iodide (PbI2) microcrystals from the lead paste found in batteries using a one-pot solution process. Credit: Longxing Su, Southern University of Science and Technology
The recycled PbI2 microcrystals exhibit the quality and purity levels necessary for making photodetectors. The production of PbI2 microcrystals at a kilogram scale is shown. Credit: Longxing Su, Southern University of Science and Technology
The (a) schematic structure and (b) the working mechanism of the photodetector made from recycled PbI2 microcrystals is shown. The photodetector showed excellent stability, repeatability and fast response speeds. Credit: Longxing Su, Southern University of Science and Technology