Efficient Dissolution of Lithium-Ion Batteries Cathode LiCoO<sub>2</sub> by Polyethylene Glycol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents at Mild Temperature
Yu Chen, Yanhong Lu, Zhenghui Liu, Liyang Zhou, Zheng Li, Jingyun Jiang, Lei Wei, Ping Ren, Tiancheng Mu
Abstract
With the increasing demand of lithium-ion batteries in recent decades, the growing waste from the electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries has become an urgent problem. Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), used as the cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries, exhibits high capacity and excellent stability but also a high price. To recycle the LiCoO2 cathode, it is desirable to develop solvents for the dissolution of LiCoO2. At present, the dissolution of LiCoO2 still requires strong acid or a high temperature. Here, benign polyethylene glycol-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) were designed and further used for the dissolution of LiCoO2 under mild conditions with high solubility. This work provides a new route for the green recovery of lithium-ion cathodes with high efficiency and low energy consumption.