A Green Recycling Method for LiMn2O4 Cathode Materials by Simple Heat Treatment

Abstract

Herein, a facile method with high efficiency is proposed for the separation and regeneration of LiMn2O4 (LMO) cathode material for spent lithium‐ion batteries through a simple heat treatment method. At first, the aluminum foil is separated at 450 °C in air, with a separation efficiency as high as 97.95%. Then, separation LMO is regenerated with high crystallinity at 650 °C with an optimum calcination time of 6 h. Importantly, this method allows D‐LMO to exhibit high reversible capacity (133 mAh g−1 at 0.1C), high rate performance (101 mAh g−1 at 5C), and long lifespan (0.5C, 92.1% capacity retention ratio after 100 cycles). A positive effect of the pyrolysis of polyvinylidene fluoride on D‐LMO is also suggested by the results. Moreover, a detailed investigation of the kinetics of the separation and regeneration is done, and the electrochemical mechanism is explored. Furthermore, this method requires much less energy input and chemical consumption, which would be helpful for environmental protection and green recycling.