Cigarette waste pollutes the environment and is a desired problem to be addressed by humans. However, such waste can be recycled by converting it into raw material for the manufacture of new products. In this study, cigarette butt waste was collected and used for fabricating thin films of cellulose acetate nanofibers (TFCAN) through electrospinning or acid hydrolysis processes. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to characterize the structural and thermal properties of TFCAN. FTIR and TGA results for the TFCAN obtained from acid hydrolysis process showed similar behavior for cellulose nanocrystals. The images from scanning electron and atomic force microscope confirmed the obtaining of TFCAN.

The rise for innovation in the electrical industry is strongly driven by development of new materials. Features of new materials are changing design paradigms for engineers. In this paper, the electrical properties of films of cellulose nanocrystals were measured. It was found that humidity affects the dielectric strength on the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). The dielectric strength was similar to the value of the industrial dielectric paper. The addition of plasticizer improved the flexibility of the material but lowered the dielectric strength. The films of CNC had an ordered arrangement, as suggested by the iridescence shown by them. The humidity content of the films was measured by thermogravimetric analysis. The CNC film was used for assembling a capacitor and compared to a capacitor assembled with dielectric paper.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a very versatile material, and optimizing the reaction conditions to obtain them is vital for cost savings, purity, selectivity, or performance. In this study, the reaction conditions of the CNCs were tested, as well as their application as binders for the fabrication of electrodes of a symmetric capacitor (based on activated carbon). The resulting CNCs were physicochemically characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and its capacitive properties using cyclic voltammetry (CV). It was found that the best reaction conditions were at 45°C, 30 and 45 minutes, and 64 wt%. The CNCs were used as a binder, as they conferred stability to the electrodes and prevented the crumbling of the activated carbon electrodes. The CV measurements showed a capacitor behavior; CNCs can be used in energy storage applications.