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Direct relithiation and efficient regeneration of spent LiFePO4 materials through thermochemical healing

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Abstract

The environmentally friendly and low-cost recycling of spent LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode materials has become an urgent problem. This paper aims to employ eutectic Li+ molten-salt-assisted roasting approach to relithiation and regenerating of spent LFP materials under ambient conditions. Via Li+ compensation and structure reshaping, LiFePO4 cathode material with various degradation conditions can be successfully regenerated, which enables the renovation of the electrochemical performance (the capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability) to the levels of the pristine LFP. It opens a door to the prospect of recycling and remanufacturing degraded cathode materials by this new method, having a strong potential for industrial application.

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Funding

We received financial supports from the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation Special Projects–Guangdong-Shenzhen Joint Funds (2022A1515110027), Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Research and Development Projects (S-KJ152022Y0019), and Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Research and Development Projects (S_KJ15_2021018). Also, Dr. Xiao-ying Lu received financial support from the Hong Kong Environment and Conservation Fund (No. 39/2019).

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Author notes

  1. Yuanyi Zhu and Xiaojuan Jiao contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Automotive Research Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518118, China

    Yuanyi Zhu, Xiaojuan Jiao, Haidong Bian & Zheming Zhang

  2. National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Yuanyi Zhu, Xiaojuan Jiao, Haidong Bian & Zheming Zhang

  3. Faculty of Science and Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Xiao-Ying Lu

Authors
  1. Yuanyi Zhu
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  2. Xiaojuan Jiao
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  3. Haidong Bian
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  4. Xiao-Ying Lu
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  5. Zheming Zhang
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Contributions

YY Zhu provided preparation, data integration, and draft writing for the published work. XJ Jiao provided content modification and submission related matters for this published work. HD Bian provided a lot of oversight and leadership responsibility for this work. ZM Zhang and XY Lu provided the working platform and financial support for this work. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiao-Ying Lu or Zheming Zhang.

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Zhu, Y., Jiao, X., Bian, H. et al. Direct relithiation and efficient regeneration of spent LiFePO4 materials through thermochemical healing. Ionics 29, 4569–4576 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-023-05143-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-023-05143-3

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