Green and efficient method for recycling and regenerating spent ternary lithium-ion batteries Yang An, Yinyi Gao, Chao Li, Kai Zhu, Hongbin Wu, Hao Sun, Pengwei Li, Dianxue Cao Journal of Power Sources, 2026 The harmful emissions and waste of resources brought on by discarded LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 (NCM111) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are developing along with the LIBs battery industry. This study presents a direct recycling process that preserves the high added value and composite structure of cathode materials, enabling the recycled materials to achieve commercial-grade quality. By dissolving the aluminum foil in discarded NCM111 cathode electrode foils using sodium hydroxide, followed by hydrothermal treatment and annealing, the discharge capacity of the recycled material can be restored. The hydrothermal regeneration method is employed to recover spent NCM111 cathode materials. The best processing technique for direct hydrothermal recovery ultimately is identified by evaluating different hydrothermal treatment conditions, such as hydrothermal temperature, hydrothermal time, and lithium replenishment levels. The recovered material exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 158.78 mAh/g at a 0.1C rate and 136.61 mAh/g at a 0.5C rate. After 200 cycles at 0.5C, the specific discharge capacity at 0.5C remains at 131.64 mAh/g, with a capacity retention rate of 96.36%. This method not only achieves direct regeneration of ternary materials effectively but also offers a novel approach for developing future eco-friendly direct regeneration techniques.
Quantum Chemical Calculation on ScCl3-NaCl-KCl Molten Salt System Can Xu, Xin Chen, Pengwei Li Current Analytical Chemistry, 2026 Background: The study of the ionic structure of the ScCl3-NaCl-KCl molten salt system is of guiding significance for the production of metal Sc and Sc alloy by molten salt electrolysis using ScCl3-NaCl-KCl molten salt system as electrolyte. However, limited research has been conducted on the structural analysis of molten salt within this system using Raman spectroscopy. Methods: The Gaussian and GaussView programs are used to simulate Sc-Cl ionic groups that may exist in the ScCl3-NaCl-KCl molten salt system based on density functional theory (DFT) and calculate their theoretical Raman spectra. Then, the wave function analysis of these Sc-Cl ionic groups is carried out using the Multiwfn program. Results: When the ScCl3-NaCl-KCl system is used as the electrolyte, it is considered that the 8 Sc atom in ScCl74− ionic groups is most easily reduced by electrochemistry at the cathode when the concentrations of eight Sc-Cl ionic groups are the same. In Sc2Cl7− Sc2Cl82− and Sc2Cl93− ionic groups, the sites that are most likely to attract electrophiles to attack and react are 1Cl and 7Cl, respectively, and the two Sc atoms located in the "chlorine bridge" structure contribute the most to LUMO orbitals, and nucleophiles will preferentially attack the Sc atoms located in the "chlorine bridge" structure. For Sc2Cl7−、Sc2Cl82− and Sc2Cl93− ionic groups, which have two Sc atoms, the bonds formed between Sc and Cl in the "chlorine bridge" structure have the smallest bond order, so the bonds formed by Sc and Cl in the "chlorine bridge" structure break first during the reaction, and then the bond formed by Sc and Cl located at both ends of the whole structure breaks Conclusion: The key information, such as bond length, point group structure, and theoretical Raman spectral characteristic peak after optimization, are obtained by the Gaussian and GaussView programs. The net atomic charge in each ionic group, the direction of electron migration during the formation of the ionic groups, the sites where electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions are most likely to occur in each ionic group, and the order of bond breaking during chemical reactions are obtained by the Multiwfn program.
A green and cost-effective mechanochemical approach for selective lithium recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries Weixin Li, Pengwei Li, Bai Song, Peng Yue, Dianxue Cao, Kai Zhu Journal of Energy Storage, 2025 The escalating demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) underscores the imperative for the development of highly efficient and environmentally sustainable recycling methodologies. Traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods suffer from high energy consumption, reagent use, and environmental impact. In this research, we introduce an innovative mechanochemical (MC) methodology aiming at the selective recovery Li from spent LIBs, accompanied by the concurrent minimization Ni, Co, and Mn contents. The MC reaction facilitates the deintercalation of Li, followed by NaOH leaching, optimizing conventional acid leaching. Sodium citrate (Na 3 Cit) is employed as a reusable and cost-effective grinding aid, effectively reducing reagent consumption and eliminating the generation of waste liquids. The reusability of Na 3 Cit has been further substantiated, as evidenced by the maintenance of its selective separation efficiency for lithium across five consecutive cycles without notable decline. Under the conditions of optimal performance, the efficiency of lithium separation attains 98.6 %, accompanied by recovery rates of 98.59 % for lithium, 99.01 % for nickel, 99.02 % for cobalt, and 99.04 % for manganese, respectively. Compared with traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods, the proposed method improves the profit of 2.07 and 1.33 $/kg waste lithium-ion batteries, respectively. Introducing MC technology, we unveil a recycling solution for spent LIBs thats not only highly efficient and cost-effective but also gentle on our planets ecosystem. This method also holds the potential for recovering other valuable metals, contributing to green resource recovery technologies.
Recent Research on the Applications of Amorphous Materials Pengwei Li Inorganics, 2025 Inorganic amorphous materials continue to play a foundational role in modern materials science, enabling advances in photonics, catalysis, electronics, energy storage, and biomedical technologies [...]
