Recycled Graphite Enabled Superior Performance for Lithium Ion Batteries

As the conflict between the expanding requirement for energy storage and scarcity of the resources for the current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) shows up, recycling graphite attracts growing attention. Although various recycling methods have been reported, the recycled graphite cannot reach the strict commercial standards of purity, scalability, efficiency, and capacity, preventing it from battery manufacturing. Herein, a closed-loop graphite recycling process with the surface recovery and modification for the graphite from the end-of-life batteries is demonstrated, and the important roles of defects and functional groups on the graphite surface are deeply studied. The recovered graphite delivers a matchable purity and initial coulombic efficiency with commercial graphite. Fabricated in industrial standard battery testing parameters, full cells with recovered graphite possess enhanced rate reversibility, cycle life,and capacity along with reduced anode material cost. These impressive results not only underscore the transformative potential of surface reconstruction and modification in graphite recycling, but also present economic feasibility and sustainable pathway for significantly improving battery performance and addressing global resource challenges via integration with the hydrometallurgical recycling process.