The rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery (LIBs) has created an urgent demand for sustainable recycling technologies. Although conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling efficiently recover critical metals, their reliance on complete material decomposition inevitably sacrifices the structural and functional value embedded in spent cathodes. This limitation has stimulated growing interest in value-retention strategies, among which direct regeneration and electrocatalytic repurposing have emerged as two promising yet fundamentally different approaches. This review summarizes recent advances in direct regeneration and electrocatalytic repurposing, highlighting their fundamentally different principles, feedstock requirements, and value-retention mechanisms. Direct regeneration restores electrochemical functionality through structural repair, whereas electrocatalytic repurposing converts spent cathodes into functional catalysts by exploiting their intrinsic elemental composition. Analysis of recent progress reveals that these approaches are complementary rather than competing, with fundamentally different requirements for feedstock quality, structural integrity, and compositional traceability. Based on these distinctions, an adaptive value-retention framework is proposed in which pathway selection is guided by cathode chemistry, degradation severity, and recycling scenario. Finally, emerging opportunities enabled by digital battery passports, advanced diagnostics, artificial intelligence, and standardized environmental and techno-economic assessment are highlighted as key enablers of intelligent recycling systems. By integrating these technologies within an adaptive decision-making framework, this Review provides a unified perspective for developing flexible, economically viable, and sustainable LIB recycling systems.
The reaction of monothiomalonamide with aromatic aldehydes and Meldrum’s acid in the presence of triethylamine yielded previously unknown stable Michael adducts – triethylammonium 5-[3-amino-1-(het)aryl-3-oxo-2-(thiocarbamoyl)propyl]-2,2-dimethyl-4-oxo-4H-1,3-dioxin-6-olates in 64–83
In this study, the radiation shielding capability of phosphate glass doped with different concentrations of samarium was computationally evaluated using XCOM and PHITS simulation tools for applications in radiation shielding, X-ray machines, and CT scanners. The Phosphate-based glass (PBSZYN) was synthesized via the melt-quenching technique. The Linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), Effective Atomic Number (Zeff), and Fast neutron removal cross-section (Sigma R) were evaluated across a wide photon energy range. At 10 MeV, MAC values are 0.0275, 0.0277, 0.0280, and 0.0282 cm2/g for PBSZYN-0Sm, PBSZYN-1Sm, PBSZYN-2Sm, and PBSZYN-3Sm, respectively. The Sigma R values for PBSZYN-0Sm, PBSZYN-1Sm, PBSZYN-2Sm, and PBSZYN-3Sm are 0.08848 cm- 1, 0.08906 cm-1, 0.09240 cm-1 and 0.09569 cm-1, respectively. The results show that PBSZYN-3Sm exhibits excellent gamma radiation properties and superior neutron attenuation performance compared to standard materials, such as resin, concrete, and water, demonstrating higher potential in neutron shielding applications. Hence, PBSZYN-3Sm, having displayed superior gamma and neutron shielding properties, may be considered for deployment in special radiation shielding designs.
Relevance. The natural restoration of ecosystems on abandoned agricultural land, accompanied by a profound transformation of soil properties, is particularly relevant on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region. This area has high recreational and agricultural potential, but is subject to intensive anthropogenic pressure, including both historical land degradation and modern effects related to the development of areas for construction. Aim. To assess the current state of soil cover, identify the depth of transformation of individual types of soils and develop scientifically based recommendations on the possibility and feasibility of recultivation of anthropogenically-transformed carbonaceous soils (solimovic cambisoil (novic) and rendzic leptosols). Methods. Field and laboratory research methods. The classification position of the identified soil types was determined according to "Classification and diagnosis of soils in Russia" (2004), samples were taken from each diagnostic horizon with subsequent examination of their chemical and physical characteristics under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, the assessment of the spatial heterogeneity of the horizon was made possible through the collection of surface-mixed soil samples. Results and conclusions. The authors have carried out the comprehensive study of the state and level of fertility of natural and anthropogenically transformed carbonaceous soils, operating in conditions of Russian dry subtropics. It was found that the key limiting factor of fertility for the studied soil types, in addition to the overall post-evolutionary degradation, is the characterization and partial heterogeneity of the soil profile, that against the background of increased carbonation and low supply of food elements leads to a decrease in their bonite. The obtained data allows us to assess the specific functioning and ways of further use of soils, showing the probability of their involvement in agricultural production or the possibility of the soil performing ecosystem functions under conditions of created urban ecosystems. Given the location of the territory in an attractive coastal zone with a subtropical climate, the scenario of its development as an inhabited zone with scientific-based formation of green infrastructure is relevant. In this context, the assessment of soil condition should shift from its productivity and agricultural use to the ability to perform ecosystem services soils under urban ecosystem conditions.
The distribution of water in sulfonicationite membranes based on a polystyrene or perfluorinated matrix, as well as their electrical transport properties in solutions of alkali metal chlorides (specific electric conductivity and electroosmotic and diffusion permeability), were studied. It was established that changes in the equilibrium hydration characteristics of these membranes, as well as their electroosmotic and diffusion permeability, occur in accordance with changes in the hydration numbers of alkali metal ions in the corresponding electrolyte solutions. For perfluorinated membranes, higher electrical conductivity in solutions of lithium chloride was occasionally detected despite its lower mobility in solution. The amount of water in the hydrated fixed ion–alkali metal cation complex, as well as the amount of relatively free water in the gel phase of the membrane, were determined based on measurements of the electroosmotic permeability and specific electrical conductivity of membranes in alkali metal chloride solutions and using a model approach to the ion-exchange membrane as a two-phase system. The results are compared with literature data on the average number of water molecules in the hydration shell of alkali metal cations obtained by proton magnetic resonance.
