Single crystal doped cathode materials from recycled lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

In a battery recycling process, a recycling stream including charge material metals from exhausted Li-ion batteries is aggregated or otherwise comminuted to generate recycled battery charge material having comparable or improved cycle life as well as recycled charge material precursor having fewer cracking defects using doping substances in both a coprecipitation phase and a sintering phase of the recycling sequence. Prior to coprecipitation of a cathode material precursor, a leach solution of comingled charge material metals is produced, the ratio of the charge material metals is adjusted based on recycled battery specifications, and a relatively small quantity of a first dopant is added. The doped precursor, a lithium salt, and a second dopant are combined and sintered to form a doped cathode material having a single crystal morphology and a higher tap density than the doped cathode precursor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.