Do disposable face masks make good batteries?

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has a new disposable waste problem: face masks. In just the first few months of the pandemic, an estimated 129 billion disposable face masks were used each month. And we all know that no matter where they ended up once they were used, it wasn’t good for the environment — landfills, oceans, etc.Fortunately, researchers from the National University of Science and Technology “MISIS” have found an easy and sustainable second life for disposable face masks. After using ultrasound to disinfect used masks, the team dipped them into an ink made from graphene and compressed and heated them to 284 degrees F. This turns them into conductive pellets, which were then separated by an insulating layer made from more old masks. Once soaked in an electrolyte and coated in a…

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