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An Effective Relithiation Process for Recycling Lithium‐Ion Battery Cathode Materials
Author(s) -
Yang Tairan,
Lu Yingqi,
Li Liurui,
Ge Dayang,
Yang Heng,
Leng Weinan,
Zhou Hui,
Han Xu,
Schmidt Nolan,
Ellis Michael,
Li Zheng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced sustainable systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.499
H-Index - 24
ISSN - 2366-7486
DOI - 10.1002/adsu.201900088
Subject(s) - cathode , materials science , electrochemistry , battery (electricity) , lithium (medication) , electrolyte , lithium ion battery , lithium battery , ion , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , electrode , chemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , ionic bonding , engineering , endocrinology
Rapid adoption of lithium‐ion batteries for electronics and electric vehicles requires cost‐effective and efficient recycling of battery components especially the valuable cathode active materials. The direct recycling method transforms end‐of‐life (EOL) cathode materials into battery grade materials with minimal energy consumption and least environmental disruption. In direct recycling, the relithiation step to restore the lithium stoichiometry of the cathode materials is critical. In this work, a novel electrochemical relithiation approach in an aqueous electrolyte followed by a heat treatment for recycling cathode materials in EOL lithium‐ion batteries is demonstrated and analyzed. Using LiCoO 2 as an example, it is shown that the recycled LiCoO 2 materials show equivalent crystal structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance to the commercial LiCoO 2 .