iScience
Volume 25, Issue 2, 18 February 2022, 103801
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Article
Flux upcycling of spent NMC 111 to nickel-rich NMC cathodes in reciprocal ternary molten salts

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.103801Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • A “reciprocal ternary molten salts” (RTMS) system is developed for upcycling

  • Directly upcycling of spent NMC 111 to Ni-rich NMC (NMC 622) is realized in air

  • RTMS provides the Li source and a flux oxygen-rich environment for upcycling

Summary

The proper handling of end-of-life (EOL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become an urgent and challenging issue with the surging use of LIBs, in which recovering high-value cathodes not only relieves the pressure on the raw material supply chain but also minimizes environmental pollution. Beyond direct recycling of spent cathodes to their pristine states, the direct upcycling of spent cathodes to the next-generation cathodes is of great significance to maximize the value of spent materials and to sustain the fast development of LIBs. Herein, a “reciprocal ternary molten salts” (RTMS) system was developed to directly upcycle spent NMC 111 to Ni-rich NMCs by simultaneously realizing the addition of Ni and the relithiation of Li in spent NMC 111. After RTMS flux upcycling, the obtained Ni-rich NMCs exhibited an α-NaFeO2-type layered structure, restored Li content, and excellent performance, which is very similar to that of the pristine NMC 622.

Subject areas

Electrochemical energy storage
Mechanical engineering
Materials application
Energy materials

Data and code availability

  • All data reported in this paper will be shared by the lead contact upon request.

  • This paper does not report original code.

  • Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this paper is available from the lead contact upon request.

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