Value-added fabrication of NiO-doped CuO nanoflakes from waste flexible printed circuit board for advanced photocatalytic application

The disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) presents a number of environmental problems. However, there are great opportunities to use this problem waste as a source of value-added metals. These metals could be recovered and transformed for use in beneficial applications, such as the manufacture of nanomaterials for the generation of hydrogen through thermodynamic water-splitting. This study used microrecycling techniques to synthesise Nitrogen oxide (NiO) doped copper oxide (CuO) nanoflakes from waste flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) using microrecycling techniques. Several precise characterisation and experimental analysis were used to validate the synthesised nanoflakes’ phase purity, surface chemistry, morphology and optical properties. XRD analysis confirmed the nanoflakes produced in the system were predominantly Tenorite, CuO (98.5% ± 4.5) with a dopant of NiO (1.5% ± 0.1). The nanoflakes had a specific surface area of 115.703 m(2)/g and mesoporous structure with an average pore diameter of 11 nm. HRTEM analysis confirmed that the nanoflakes were not a single structure but assembled from 2D nanorods. The width of the nanorods varied from ∼ 10 to 50 nm, and the length from ∼ 30 to 80 nm. After rapid thermal processing, the photocurrent response of the synthesised material was assessed, revealing a higher photocurrent density (− 1.9 mA/cm(2) at 0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under 1.5G AM). Mott Schottky analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the synthesised nanomaterial had the potential thermodynamic water-splitting capability. These results were an encouraging indication of the promise of techniques which use e-waste to produce nanomaterials with valuable properties. This has the potential to both decrease problem waste and preserves dwindling natural resources.