Reuse of LiCoO2 Electrodes Collected from Spent Li-Ion Batteries after Electrochemical Re-Lithiation of the Electrode

The recycling of used Li-ion batteries is important as the consumption of batteries is increasing every year. However, the recycling of electrode materials is tedious and energy intensive with current methods, and part of the material is lost in the process. In this study, an alternative recycling method is presented to minimize the number of steps needed in the positive electrode recovery process. The electrochemical performance of aged and re-lithiated Mg-Ti-doped LiCoO2 and stoichiometric LiCoO2 was investigated and compared. The results showed that after re-lithiation the structure of original LiCoO2 was restored, the capacity of an aged LiCoO2 reverted close to the capacity of a fresh LiCoO2, and the material could thus be recovered. The re-lithiated Mg-Ti-doped LiCoO2 provided rate capability properties only slightly declined from the rate capability of a fresh material and showed promising cyclability in half-cells.