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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
06:58
Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
Published on: September 29, 2020
Spent electrode co-upcycling empowers anode-free Zn - I2 batteries
Jingkun Wu1, Zixiang Meng1, Zhihan Zeng2
1College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|June 22, 2026
Summary
This study presents a novel co-upcycling method for spent lithium-ion batteries, transforming waste into valuable components for new zinc-iodine batteries. This sustainable approach enhances energy storage efficiency and reduces recycling costs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs) pose a significant environmental challenge due to their increasing accumulation.
- Current recycling methods for SLIBs are often inefficient, costly, and result in under-utilization of recovered electrode materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient and cost-effective co-upcycling strategy for SLIBs.
- To integrate recovered anode and cathode materials into a novel energy storage system.
- To establish a sustainable paradigm for next-generation energy storage.
Main Methods:
- A hybrid approach combining hydrometallurgy and Joule heating for SLIB recycling.
- Co-upcycling of regenerated anode and cathode species into a zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) battery.
- Utilizing operando spectroscopic characterizations and theoretical simulations to analyze material performance.
Main Results:
- Successfully constructed an anode-free Zn-I2 pouch cell utilizing co-upcycled materials.
- Demonstrated mitigation of the polyiodide shuttle effect and improved zinc deposition reversibility.
- Achieved a high energy density of 229 Wh kg-1 in the prototype cell.
Conclusions:
- The proposed co-upcycling strategy offers a sustainable and economically viable solution for SLIB recycling.
- The integrated approach maximizes material utilization and enhances battery performance.
- This work paves the way for innovative next-generation energy storage solutions.
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