(Invited) Recycled Cathode Materials Enabled Superior Performance for Lithium-Ion Battery

Abstract

Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries can play a significant role in alleviating the shortage of raw materials and environmental problems. However, recycled materials are usually deemed inferior to commercial materials in terms of electrochemical performance, preventing the industry from adopting recycled materials in their batteries. Here, we demonstrate that the recycled LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 has a superior rate and cycle performance, verified by various industry-level tests. Specifically, 1 Ah cells with the recycled LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 have the best cycle life result reported for recycled materials and enable 4,200 cycles and 11,600 cycles at 80% and 70% capacity retention, which is 33% and 53% better than the state-of-the-art, commercial LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2. Meanwhile, the recycled LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2also shows an 88.6% better rate performance than the commercial powder at 5C. From both experimental and modeling results, the optimized microstructure of recycled materials enables the superior electrochemical performance. The recycled cathode material outperforms commercially available equivalent, providing a green and sustainable solution for spent lithium-ion batteries.