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42 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2025 • Analyze non-monetary benefits: Not all ROI is financial. Consider the value of increased brand awareness, strength- ened customer relationships, and industry insights gained from the show. • Learn and adjust: Aer the show, conduct a post-mortem with your team. What worked well? What didn't? Use these insights to improve your approach for the next event. Exhibiting at a trade show is a significant investment, but with the right strategy, it can deliver a tremendous return. Preplanning ensures you're prepared. Staffing the booth with the right team maximizes your interac- tions. Capturing quality leads sets the stage for future sales and diligent follow-up turns opportunities into results. Finally, tracking your ROI closes the loop, helping you make informed decisions about future events. Remember, success at a trade show isn't about being the biggest booth on the floor—it's about making the most mean- ingful connections and turning those connec- tions into long-term business relationships. So, the next time you're gearing up for a trade show, remember, it's not just about showing up—it's about showing up with purpose, pas- sion, and a plan. It's only common sense. PCB007 Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group. To read past columns, click here. In a significant step toward creating a sustainable and circular economy, Rice University researchers have published a landmark study in the journal Car- bon demonstrating that carbon nanotube (CNT) fi- bers can be fully recycled without any loss in their structure or properties and positions them as a sus- tainable alternative to traditional materials like met- als, polymers and the much larger carbon fibers, which are notoriously difficult to recycle. The research team used solution-spun CNT fi- bers created by dissolving fiber-grade commercial Rice Researchers Unveil 'Surprising' Breakthrough in Carbon Nanotube Recycling CNTs in chlorosulfonic acid. Fibers made from dif- ferent types of CNTs produced by different manu- facturers were initially processed into separate sin- gle-source virgin fibers, then recycled by combining them and mixing in chlorosulfonic acid. Surprisingly, mixing the two fibers led to complete redissolution and no sign of separation of the two source materi- als into different liquid phases. This redissolved ma- terial was spun into a mixed-source recycled fiber that retained the same structure and alignment of the virgin fiber. "Remarkably, the recycled fibers demonstrated equivalent mechanical strength, electrical conduc- tivity, thermal conductivity and alignment, which is unprecedented in the field of engineered materials," said co-first author Michelle Durán-Chaves, a gradu- ate student in chemistry. The research revealed several significant findings that position CNT fibers as a promising material in the journey toward sustainable practices. Unlike tra- ditional materials, particularly polymers and carbon fibers that degrade in quality during recycling, CNT fibers retained 100% of their original properties after being recycled. Source: Rice University