With the rapid development of consumer electronics and electric vehicles(EV), a large number of spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have been generated worldwide. Thus, effective recycling technologies to recapture a significant amount of valuable metals contained in spent LIBs are highly desirable to prevent the environmental pollution and resource depletion. In this work, a novel recycling technology to regenerate a LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2 cathode material from spent LIBs with different cathode chemistries has been developed. By dismantling, crushing,leaching and impurity removing, the LiNi_(1/3)Co_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_2(selected as an example of LiNi_xCo_yMn_(1-x-y)O_2) powder can be directly prepared from the purified leaching solution via co-precipitation followed by solid-state synthesis. For comparison purposes, a fresh-synthesized sample with the same composition has also been prepared using the commercial raw materials via the same method. X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and electrochemical measurements have been carried out to characterize these samples. The electrochemical test result suggests that the re-synthesized sample delivers cycle performance and low rate capability which are comparable to those of the freshsynthesized sample. This novel recycling technique can be of great value to the regeneration of a pure and marketable LiNi_xCo_yMn_(1-x-y)O_2 cathode material with low secondary pollution.
Rujuan ZhengWenhui WangYunkun DaiQuanxin MaYuanlong LiuDeying MuRuhong LiJie RenaChangsong Dai
