Battery & Electrification Technology - November/December 2024 - 24

(From left) Gerald Kothleitner, Werner Grogger, Nicola Šimić, Daniel Knez (all from the
Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalytics), and Anna Jodlbauer from the Institute of
Chemistry and Technology of Materials next to a microscope on which some of the investigations
were carried out. (Image: Lunghammer - TU Graz)
found in the crystal lattice of the cathode in
the transition areas. " These details provide
important information on physical effects
that have so far counteracted battery efficiency
and which we can take into account
in the further development of the materials, "
said Ilie Hanzu from the Institute of
Chemistry and Technology of Materials, who
was closely involved in the study.
For their investigations, the researchers
prepared material samples from the electrodes
of charged and discharged batteries
and analyzed them under the atomic-resolution
ASTEM microscope at TU Graz. They
combined electron energy loss spectroscopy
with electron diffraction measurements
and atomic-level imaging. " By combining
different examination methods, we
were able to determine where the lithium
is positioned in the crystal channels and
how it gets there, " explained Nikola Šimić
from the Institute of Electron Microscopy
and Nanoanalysis and first author of the
paper on the results, which the research
team recently published in the journal
Advanced Energy Materials. " The methods
we have developed and the knowledge we
have gained about ion diffusion can be
transferred to other battery materials with
only minor adjustments in order to characterize
them even more precisely and develop
them further. "
For more information, contact Daniel
Knez at knez@tugraz.at.
Second Life of Lithium-Ion Batteries Could Take Us
to Space
The need for effective recycling methods for spent lithium-ion batteries is becoming increasingly critical.
New research offers a promising solution.
Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
T
he global use of lithium-ion batteries
has doubled in just the past four years,
generating alarming amounts of battery
waste containing many hazardous
substances. The need for effective recycling
methods for spent lithium-ion batteries
is becoming increasingly critical. In
the journal ChemElectroChem, scientists
from various Polish research institutions,
including Bydgoszcz University of Science
and Technology (PBS), the Institute of
Fundamental Technological Research of
the Polish Academy of Sciences, the
Institute of Physical Chemistry of the PAS
in Warsaw, and Wroclaw University of
Science and Technology, presented a
promising solution to this issue.
The research was based on carbon material
extracted from electrodes of spent
lithium-ion batteries. These electrodes underwent
an acidic leaching process to recover
valuable metals. Depending on the
experimental conditions, the resulting carbon
material was more or less etched and,
24
Dr. Eng. Magdalena Warczak at the measuring
system with a glassy carbon electrode
covered with powder obtained from spent
lithium-ion batteries. (Image: PBS/JCH)
after being powdered, still contained trace
amounts of metals, including cobalt, which
is a metal often used in catalysis. The research
aimed to repurpose these battery
materials for use in catalytic processes,
with a particular focus on those that facilitate
the production of hydrogen peroxide.
" Hydrogen peroxide is one of the fundamental
chemical molecules essential
to numerous industries. Large-scale production
of this substance typically demands
high pressures and temperatures,
costly catalysts, and various toxic electrolytes.
Our focus was on developing a
more environmentally friendly method
for producing hydrogen peroxide: specifically,
an electrochemical approach using
catalysts derived from used lithium-ion
batteries, " explained Dr. Eng. Magdalena
Warczak (PBS), project leader and lead
author of the article detailing this.
Electrochemical tests revealed that materials
recovered from spent LIB batteries,
containing carbon nanostructures and cobalt,
display catalytic properties in the oxygen
reduction reaction. However, it was also
found that these properties are highly dependent
on the type of sample, specifically
its composition and structure, which are
Battery & Electrification Technology, November/December 2024

Battery & Electrification Technology - November/December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Battery & Electrification Technology - November/December 2024