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Adelaide Researchers Transform Plastics into Clean Energy Catalysts

10/29/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers at Adelaide University have developed a scalable method to convert plastics into single-atom catalysts using synchrotron technology.
The process transforms plastics such as PET and PVC into materials for clean energy and water purification.
The study, published in Nature Communications, shows metals in the single-atom catalysts are isolated within a graphene substrate, boosting performance.

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Story summary

Researchers at Adelaide University have developed a scalable method to convert plastics into single-atom catalysts using synchrotron technology.
The process transforms plastics such as PET and PVC into materials for clean energy and water purification.
The study, published in Nature Communications, shows metals in the single-atom catalysts are isolated within a graphene substrate, boosting performance.