Selective Recovery of Cathode Materials from Spent Lithium-Ion Battery Material with a Near-Room-Temperature Separation

Abstract

Effective separation of cathode materials from the current collector is a critical step in recycling a spent lithium-ion battery (LIB). This typically necessitates the decomposition or dissolution of the organic binder, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), to achieve efficient recovery of cathode materials. However, this process requires a high decomposition temperature, typically between 400 and 600 °C, and can lead to side reactions, such as current collector oxidation/brittleness, decomposition of cathode materials, and formation of metal fluorides. In this study, we propose that non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment can be used to achieve an extremely high separation of cathode materials and aluminum current collector at near room temperature. Instead of relying on PVDF decomposition, which requires high temperatures, PVDF can be deactivated by partially breaking down long molecular chains with appropriate NTP conditions. With a total treatment time of around 2000 s and an environmental temperature of approximately 80 °C, minor side reactions can be avoided. The separation rate can reach up to 95.69%, and high-quality cathode materials can be obtained with only 0.02 wt % aluminum impurity content. This research could potentially offer a new approach toward minimizing recycling steps and reducing energy consumption in the recycling of spent LIBs. It could also be extended to the recovery of a broader range of electronic wastes.

Chemical-Free Recycling of Cathode Material and Aluminum Foil from Waste Lithium-Ion Batteries by Combining Plasma and Ultrasonic Technology

“…In the field of battery materials, plasma has been extensively applied in modification and synthesis techniques for electrode materials, separators, and electrolytes. It enables the preparation and separation of materials more conveniently and controlled with low energy consumption. , Meanwhile, plasma has also been employed for coating, surface etching and doping, and surface functionalization of battery materials. It can be used for surface cleaning of materials, reducing byproducts and impurities in reactions. , However, the application of plasma for separating active materials and current collectors in LIBs has not been extensively studied.…”