A closed-loop process for recycling LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2 from mixed cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries

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 LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode material from spent LIBs with different cathode chemistries has been developed. By dismantling, crushing, leaching and impurity removing, the LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (selected as an example of LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2) 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 fresh-synthesized sample. This novel recycling technique can be of great value to the regeneration of a pure and marketable LiNixCoyMn(1−x−y)O2 cathode material with low secondary pollution.