Solvothermal strategy for direct regeneration of high-performance cathode materials from spent lithium-ion battery.

Direct regeneration of cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries is efficient but suffers from the difficulty of accurately replenishing lithium, leading to poor performance of the regenerated materials. In this research, a solvothermal strategy for direct regeneration of spent cathode material into high electrochemical performances cathode material is reported. Spent LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 is directly regenerated by combining CH 3 CH 2 OH-LiNO 3 solvothermal relithiation and thermal annealing step. The results indicate that lithium can be precisely replenished to the missing sites, and the regenerated materials return to a stable layered structure, corresponding to excellent cyclability (90.23 % capacity retention after 560 cycles at 1 C). Owing to solvent circulation and the low relithiation temperature, the regeneration process displays low energy consumption, low CO 2 emissions and high profit; thus, presenting a promising route for direct regeneration of high-performance cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. [Display omitted] • A solvothermal strategy for direct regeneration of spent cathode material has been proposed. • Solvothermal strategy achieves restoration of composition and structure in spent cathode materials. • Regenerated cathode material exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. • The regeneration process displays low energy consumption, low CO 2 emissions and high profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]