Pyrometallurgical options for recycling spent lithium-ion batteries: A comprehensive review

Heteroatom Doping: An Effective Way to Boost Sodium Ion Storage

Single-crystal cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries have attracted increasing interest in providing greater capacity retention than their polycrystalline counterparts. However, after being cycled at high voltages, these single-crystal materials exhibit severe structural instability and capacity fade. Understanding how the surface structural changes determine the performance degradation over cycling is crucial, but remains elusive. Here, we investigate the correlation of the surface structure, internal strain, and capacity deterioration by using operando X-ray spectroscopy imaging and nano-tomography. We directly observe a close correlation between surface chemistry and phase distribution from homogeneity to heterogeneity, which induces heterogeneous internal strain within the particle and the resulting structural/performance degradation during cycling. We also discover that surface chemistry can significantly enhance the cyclic performance. Our modified process effectively regulates the performance fade issue of single-crystal cathode and provides new insights for improved design of high-capacity battery materials.

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Surface regulation enables high stability of single-crystal lithium-ion cathodes at high voltage.

A perspective on sustainable energy materials for lithium batteries

The exploration of next-generation sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is a worldwide concern to replace the current commercial lithium-ion batteries, mitigating the increasing exhaustion of Li resources. Sodium transition metal oxides are considered to be one of the most promising cathode materials for SIBs. The anionic redox reaction in Li-rich transition metal oxides is capable of providing extra capacity in addition to the cationic redox activities in lithium-ion batteries. A similar phenomenon exists in SIBs, which even applies to Na-deficient transition metal oxides. Moreover, transition metal oxides with mixed phase also demonstrate great potential. In this review, studies on anionic redox are first systematically introduced. The up-to-date advances on high-capacity transition metal oxide cathode materials for SIBs are then classified and summarized in different groups associated with or without anionic redox. The existing challenges as well as available solutions and strategies are discussed, and proposals with new insights are made at the end. It is expected that this work can provide new perspectives on controlling the anionic redox activity and finding novel high-capacity oxide cathode materials for SIBs.

Sodium transition metal oxides: the preferred cathode choice for future sodium-ion batteries?

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cey2.29

Recycling of mixed cathode lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles: Current status and future outlook

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging desalination technology for effective removal of ionic species from aqueous solutions. Compared to conventional CDI, which is based on carbon electrodes and struggles with high salinity streams due to a limited salt removal capacity by ion electrosorption and excessive co-ion expulsion, the emerging Faradaic electrodes provide unique opportunities to upgrade the CDI performance, i.e., achieving much higher salt removal capacities and energy-efficient desalination for high salinity streams, due to the Faradaic reaction for ion capture. This article presents a comprehensive overview on the current developments of Faradaic electrode materials for CDI. Here, the fundamentals of Faradaic electrode-based CDI are first introduced in detail, including novel CDI cell architectures, key CDI performance metrics, ion capture mechanisms, and the design principles of Faradaic electrode materials. Three main categories of Faradaic electrode materials are summarized and discussed regarding their crystal structure, physicochemical characteristics, and desalination performance. In particular, the ion capture mechanisms in Faradaic electrode materials are highlighted to obtain a better understanding of the CDI process. Moreover, novel tailored applications, including selective ion removal and contaminant removal, are specifically introduced. Finally, the remaining challenges and research directions are also outlined to provide guidelines for future research.

Faradaic Electrodes Open a New Era for Capacitive Deionization

Breaking Free from Cobalt Reliance in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Recent Progress on High‐Performance Cathode Materials for Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Sodium ion batteries are a promising next-generation energy storage device for large-scale applications. However, the high voltage P2–O2 phase transition (>4.25 V vs Na/Na+) and metal dissolution of P2 layered cathodes into the electrolyte result in severe capacity fading, which is a major setback to fabricate high energy devices. Hence, it is essential to design an appropriate strategy to enhance interfacial behaviors to obtain safe and stable high voltage sodium ion batteries. Herein, an ultrathin alucone layer deposited through molecular layer deposition (MLD) is employed to stabilize the structure of a P2-type layered cathode cycled at a high cut-off voltage (>4.45 V) for the first time. The alucone coated P2-type Na0.66Mn0.9Mg0.1O2 (NMM) cathode exhibits an 86% capacity retention after 100 cycles between 2 and 4.5 V at 1 C, demonstrating substantial improvement compared to pristine (65%) and Al2O3-coated (71%) NMM cathodes. Furthermore, the mechanically robust and conductive nature of the organometallic thin film enhances the rate capability relative to the pristine NMM electrode. This work reveals that the MLD of alucone on cathodes is a promising approach to improve the cycle stability of sodium ion batteries at high cut-off voltages.

Tyler Or

Papers

Recycling of mixed cathode lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles: Current status and future outlook

Faradaic Electrodes Open a New Era for Capacitive Deionization

Breaking Free from Cobalt Reliance in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Recent Progress on High‐Performance Cathode Materials for Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Constructing Safe and Durable High‐Voltage P2 Layered Cathodes for Sodium Ion Batteries Enabled by Molecular Layer Deposition of Alucone