Unveiling the potential of electronic polymer toy waste in fabricating carbon fiber reinforced composites with RSM

ABSTRACT Fibers for e-waste management are emerging as sustainable materials, often derived from natural or recycled sources, to replace non-biodegradable components in electronic products. This study investigates the development and characterization of carbon fiber-reinforced composites derived from electronic polymer toy waste (EPTW), emphasizing sustainability and material reutilization. The primary objective is to fabricate and evaluate composite materials with varying compositions of EPTW (CF-0EPTW, CF-5EPTW, CF-10EPTW, CF-15EPTW, CF-20EPTW) to assess their mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties. The polymer matrix and carbon fibers were meticulously processed and mixed with electronic toy waste particles using precise ratios and advanced fabrication techniques. Materials were tested for tensile, compressive, flexural, and impact strengths under controlled conditions, adhering to ASTM standards. The results were analyzed using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize process parameters and identify trends. A comparative analysis between experimental outcomes and RSM predictions demonstrated excellent correlation, validating RSM as a robust tool for optimizing material properties. Morphological characterization, including Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX), provided detailed insights into the composites’ microstructural integrity and elemental composition. The results confirm that CF-0EPTW exhibits superior mechanical performance and thermal stability, while RSM efficiently predicts composite behavior, surpassing experimental variations in accuracy.