Single Crystal Upcycling of Spent Polycrystalline NMC Cathode Active Materials

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling is a critical step within the renewable energy ecosystem. LIBs are necessary to store charge from clean energy sources such as wind and solar for use in homes, electric vehicles, and personal electronics. However, heavy metals such as nickel and cobalt that are required for modern battery chemistries are of limited supply, and their extraction and refining processes present additional safety and environmental concerns. LIB recycling can be used to isolate and regenerate the cathode active materials (CAMs) from spent batteries to create a circular LIB economy to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the chemistry and morphology of CAMs can be upgraded to better suit the energy density requirements of today’s batteries. Ni-rich and single crystal CAMs offer increased charge storage capacity and improved long-term cycling performance, respectively, compared to the cathode chemistries found in spent LIBs that are ready for recycling. This work illustrates how Princeton NuEnergy can use direct recycling to upcycle spent CAMs to a single-crystal morphology and Ni-rich chemistry with comparable performance to their respective pristine materials.<br/><br/>Princeton NuEnergy (PNE), a U.S.-based innovative clean-tech company, initiated its pilot production in 2022 and manufacturing plant in 2024. PNE is revolutionizing the supply chain of critical materials through its patented technology for directly recycling and upcycling cathode materials from spent LIBs and manufacturing scraps. Utilizing an innovative low-temperature plasma-assisted process (LPAS™), PNE efficiently rejuvenates high-value cathode active materials, making them suitable for direct reintroduction into cell manufacturing. PNE's technology is set to significantly disrupt the battery market, representing a major leap forward in sustainable material recovery and recycling.