Rapid, Direct Regeneration of Spent LiCoO₂ Cathodes for Li-Ion Batteries

Recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries is essentialfor the sustainabledevelopment of renewable energy technologies, as it promotes resourcereuse and environmental protection. Recycling cathode materials isparticularly important due to their high concentration of strategicelements. However, traditional recycling methods for cathode materialsare often inefficient due to high energy consumption and prolongedoperation time. Here, we present an efficient, one-step, nondestructivemethod for regenerating spent LiCoO2 cathodes within seconds.This method simultaneously achieves relithiation of the cathode materialand repair of the crystal structure through rapid Joule heating. Comparedto traditional repair methods, this process exhibits low energy consumptionand shortened operation time. After an 8 s repair process, the regeneratedLiCoO(2) has a well-defined layered structure and is restoredto its original electrochemical performance, with an initial dischargecapacity of 133.0 mAh/g and good cycling performance. This work representsa potentially universal approach for the efficient direct regenerationof cathode materials.