Key points:
- Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are powerful and safer than flammable lithium-ion batteries, but they are not environmentally friendly.
- Researchers reconfigured the design of solid-state lithium batteries to allow all components to be easily recycled.
- Their efforts resulted in separable components that could be both reconstructed and recycled – bringing the use of solid-state lithium batteries in large devices closer to reality.
Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries have the potential to power cell phones and laptops for days with a single charge. However, these batteries are not environmentally friendly as almost everything goes to waste during the current recycling process.
Now, a study published in ACS Energy Letters, reveals a reconfigured design of solid-state lithium batteries that allows all components to be easily recycled.
To separate the core battery components from other metal components in a coin cell battery, researchers inserted two polymer layers at the interfaces between the electrode and the electrolyte prior to the start of the recycling process.
After successful separation of the components, the team made a composite reconstructed battery with the recovered metals and electrode using cold sintering – the process of combining powder-based materials into dense forms at low temperatures through applied pressure using solvents. This process meant that they could not only recover and reuse the whole battery, but also recycle it again after its use – increasing the sustainability of rechargeable batteries.
Importantly, the researchers found that the reconstructed battery achieved between 92.5% and 93.8% of its original capacity.
“While the commercialization of all-solid-state lithium batteries is still in its early stages, our work provides important insights and ideas for designing recyclable versions of these batteries,” explained first author Yi-Chen Lan of Penn State. “While we’re not quite there yet, the long-term goal is to apply this innovation to larger batteries that could be used in devices like cell phones and laptops, once all solid-state technology becomes more prevalent.”