Reutilization of waste printed circuit boards nonmetallic powders in elastomer composites: Significant improvements of curing and mechanical properties

Abstract Recycling of waste printed circuit boards nonmetallic powders (WPCBPs), as one of the significant challenges for sustainable development of resources, has attracted tremendous attentions from scientific and industrial researchers. In this work, the feasibility of WPCBP as curing accelerator and reinforcing filler in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) composites was first explored. Vulcanization parameters and kinetics of SBR compounds were systematically investigated by moving‐die rheometer and differential scanning calorimeter. The results suggested that the incorporation of WPCBP can effectively reduce vulcanization activation energy and shorten the manufacturing cycle of SBR/SiO₂ composites, which may be attributed to the activation effect from metal oxide and accelerating effect from residual additives in WPCBP. On the other hand, the coupling interfacial interactions of rubber‐SiO₂ and rubber‐WPCBP result in simultaneous enhancements of tensile strength, tensile modulus, and extensibility of SBR/SiO₂/WPCBP composites. Moreover, the potential applications and challenges of SBR/SiO₂/WPCBP composites were also briefly analyzed. This work offers a green and efficient reutilization approach of WPCBP in elastomer composites, which may be a valuable inspiration for the high‐valued utilization of WPCBP and the preparation of high‐performance and low‐cost elastomer composites.