Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling: Defect-Driven High-Performance Regeneration

The continuous accumulation of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has brought about critical economic and environmental issues. The article discusses the direct recycling of spent LIBs through defect engineering, emerging as a sustainable strategy for upcycling. Degraded materials, including cathodes and anodes, exhibit structural defects that can be repurposed for modifying, enhancing the performance of regenerated batteries. The studies show that utilizing lithium vacancies and oxygen vacancies allows the efficient diffusion of dopants, like Mg/Al and F, improving electrochemical stability and high-voltage capabilities. Additionally, this approach significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional methods, offering significant insights for large-scale LIBs upcycling and closed-loop energy storage systems.