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US 12,183,901 B1Granted
Low-temperature hydrothermal relithiation of spent lithium-ion battery cathodes by redox mediation
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Califoria
InventorsZheng Chen, Xiaolu Yu
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Abstract
A process for low temperature hydrothermal relithiation of spent lithium-ion battery cathode materials adds a reducing agent to an aqueous Li solution at 80-100° C. followed by a short anneal to achieve complete recovery of composition, crystal structure, and electrochemical performance for heavily degraded cathode materials.
Claims26
A method for regenerating spent lithium-ion battery cathode material, wherein the cathode material is in a powdered form, the method comprising:
- processing the cathode material in an aqueous lithium (Li) solution and a reducing agent at a temperature within a range of 80° to 100° C. for a processing period sufficient to relithiate the cathode material;
- washing and drying the processed cathode material;
- and
- annealing the dried processed cathode material in oxygen at an annealing temperature for an annealing period to produce a regenerated cathode material.
1 more element
A method for treating lithium-ion battery cathode material from a spent battery cell, comprising:
- separating cathode strips comprising cathode strip substrates from the battery cell;
- treating the cathode strips in one or more solvent solutions to remove NCM powder, binder and carbon black from the cathode strip substrates;
- extracting the NCM powder;
- processing the NCM powder in an aqueous lithium (Li) solution and a reducing agent at a temperature within a range of 80° to 100° C. for a processing period sufficient to produce a relithiated NCM powder;
- washing and drying the relithiated NCM powder;
- and
- annealing the dried powder in oxygen at an annealing temperature for an annealing period to produce a cathode powder with restored composition, crystal structure and electrochemical performance.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.