Japanese researchers synthesize carbon nano-onions from fish waste

In Japan, carbon nano-onions (CNOs), a form of carbon nanostructure with excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, find several applications in biomedicine, bioimaging, energy conversion, and electronics. However, conventional methods to produce them suffer from high complexity, toxicity, and energy consumption. Fortunately, scientists from the Nagoya Institute of Technology have now found a convenient and eco-friendly way to synthesize high-quality CNOs using scales from fish waste and microwave pulses. This novel approach could open doors to the adoption of CNOs in next-generation technologies.