With the increasing demand of lithium-ion batteries in recent decades, the growing waste from the electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries has become an urgent problem. Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ), used as the cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries, exhibits high capacity and excellent stability but also a high price. To recycle the LiCoO 2 cathode, it is desirable to develop solvents for the dissolution of LiCoO 2 . At present, the dissolution of LiCoO 2 still requires strong acid or a high temperature. Here, benign polyethylene glycol-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) were designed and further used for the dissolution of LiCoO 2 under mild conditions with high solubility. This work provides a new route for the green recovery of lithium-ion cathodes with high efficiency and low energy consumption.

Self-healable, transparent, and antifogging polysaccharide films composed of acrylamide-modified chitosan (AMCS) and alginate aldehyde (ADA) were fabricated via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly. The Schiff base linkage formed between amino groups of AMCS and aldehyde groups of ADA was used to construct the films. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectra revealed that the films were cross-linked through Schiff base bonds. Ultraviolet− visible spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscope characterizations demonstrated that the films exhibited linear growth during the LBL process. The films showed a repetitive self-healing property, and the repeated damage-healing of the films was thickness-dependent. The films can heal the scratches that penetrated to the underlying substrates. Besides the excellent self-healing property, the films showed an antifogging property due to the hydrophilic nature of the two polysaccharides. The antifogging ability of the film was thickness-dependent. Also, the films could regain their transmittance and fog-resistant property after mechanical abrasion due to their self-healing capability. These self-healable and fog-resistant polymeric films have potential applications in food packaging.

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The reality that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still raging around the world and making a comeback with a strong posture has highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive...