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A Novel Approach to Manufacturing an Antioxidant Material, GT-Ag@MSN, Using Recycled Silver and Silicon from Scrapped Photovoltaic Panels

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  • Jia Wen

    (College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
    Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Ministry of Education), Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Qing Yue

    (College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Zhifei Qi

    (College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Zhixuan Gong

    (College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

  • Yujiao Ba

    (College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China)

Abstract

This study developed a microporous silica nanosilver antioxidant material (GT-Ag@MSN) from waste photovoltaic (PV) cells by incorporating plant polyphenols in the in situ synthesis. The biosynthesized GT-Ag@MSN had an average size of 296.5 nm, a pore size of 1.96 nm, and an Ag loading of 1.45%. The material was further evaluated through antibacterial tests, antioxidant capacity tests, and a reducing power assay. GT-Ag@MSN exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 20 mg/mL for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 50 mg/mL for both of them, which will need further efforts to improve the performance. However, GT-Ag@MSN exhibited a notable 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging ability of 74.7 ± 1.6% at a concentration of 250 μg/mL, and its reducing power in the range of 10–100 mg was greater than that of ascorbic acid at 10–100 μg/mL. This study proposes a new waste-to-wealth strategy that utilizes purified silicon and silver from recycling used PV modules, encouraging the advancement of PV waste recycling and reuse technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia Wen & Qing Yue & Zhifei Qi & Zhixuan Gong & Yujiao Ba, 2025. "A Novel Approach to Manufacturing an Antioxidant Material, GT-Ag@MSN, Using Recycled Silver and Silicon from Scrapped Photovoltaic Panels," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4557-:d:1657291
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Domínguez, Adriana & Geyer, Roland, 2019. "Photovoltaic waste assessment of major photovoltaic installations in the United States of America," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 1188-1200.
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