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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Sequential separation of battery electrode materials and metal foils in aqueous media

To recycle high-value lithium-ion battery components, it is imperative to efficiently separate electrode materials from current collector foils and to separate cathodes from anodes. This study investigates the delamination behaviors of cathodes and anodes from their respective current collectors in aqueous media. Whereas anode films can easily detach from copper foils in water, the delamination of cathode films does not exhibit the same behavior in water; instead, the cation exchange reaction results in lithium leaching and aluminum corrosion in the presence of water. Here, a buffer solution with surfactant additives has been designed to prevent aluminum corrosion and to improve solution wetting behavior, thereby facilitating cathode delamination. The delamination difference enables the sequential recovery of electrode materials and metal foils at different separation stages, simplifying the traditionally intricate processes within a one-pot recovery system. The recovered materials retain their crystal structure and morphology, and there are no signs of aluminum corrosion or residues on the metal foils. The sequential separation technique achieves nearly 100% separation efficiency for electrode materials from metal foils and over 98% separation efficiency for cathode and anode materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sustainable recycling of cathode scraps via Cyrene-based separation

Separation of cathode materials from the current collector remains a challenging task for the recycling of both spent lithium-ion batteries and cathode scraps. Dissolving the organic binder polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) with an organic solvent to recover both cathode materials and Al foils is an efficient and promising method. However, the use of toxic solvents limits their practical application in recycling large amounts of cathode scraps generated during the manufacturing process. Cyrene, a bioderived green solvent, is proposed here for a solvent-based separation process. This study investigated a closed-loop recovery process to reclaim cathode materials, Al foils, and PVDF binder from cathode scraps. Furthermore, the reuse of the Cyrene solvent led to a circular recycling process. Additionally, the Cyrene-based separation process embraces a sustainable electrode recovery and reuse platform and paves the way for battery recycling.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1974

Effects of intrinsic region width in Si/Li/ p-i-n diodes

Description of certain effects related to the width of the intrinsic region produced in a silicon p-i-n diode by lithium ion drifting. It is found that for wider intrinsic regions at large forward biases there is a larger ohmic drop across the region and a correspondingly smaller current. Moreover, the recovery time decreases with increasing intrinsic region width. Conversely, the decay phase time increases with increasing intrinsic region width and with increasing current levels.

Harman, T. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding Structural and Compositional Evolution during NMC Cathode Direct Recycling via Solid-State NMR

Recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to recover high-value cathode materials such as LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) is driven by economical, geopolitical, and sustainability needs. There has been recent interest in direct recycling methods to improve efficiency and recovery of materials, including ionothermal, hydothermal, solid-state, or redox mediator methods. In conjunction with recycling process development, detailed structural characterization is necessary in order to understand the mechanisms and efficacy of cathode recycling steps. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a unique tool that can probe Li coordination, bulk and surface environments, and transition metal ordering in recycled and upcycled NMC cathodes. Here, 6,7Li, 1H, and 19F NMR spectroscopy to probe structural and compositional changes as well as surface impurities that may form during each step in NMC direct recycling is utilized. During relithiation, Li reinsertion into the NMC lattice is observed. During upcycling, where the goal is to increase the Ni content in the NMC, incorporation of Ni-rich phases into the bulk Li environment is observed. Surface impurities formed during processing were also identified. These studies provide valuable information for optimizing recycling processes to reach targeted cathode composition and structure that can enable electrochemical performance comparable to or better than pristine materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Baseline Cost Analysis of Energy Wastewater Treatment with Preliminary Feasibility Analysis of Critical Mineral Recovery

Critical mineral recovery from wastewater is an enhancement of conventional mining that can help meet growing demand. This work investigates two energy wastewaters that have previously been shown to be enriched in critical minerals, oil and gas produced water in the Permian Basin and combustion residual leachate. Treatment of these two wastewaters using reverse osmosis or thermal-based methods concentrates critical minerals, which improves the economic viability of critical mineral recovery. Revenue from mineral recovery could also offset treatment costs for operators. This work evaluates the cost of treatment for each wastewater and evaluates the potential revenue from critical minerals concentrated in the brine. The levelized cost of water for combustion residual leachate ranges from USD 1.90 to USD 16.20 (USD 2023/m 3 permeate) and for produced water ranges from USD 14.40 to USD 24.30 (USD 2023/m 3 distillate). Recovery opportunities range from USD 0.11 to USD 1.13 (USD 2023/m 3 permeate) for leachate and from USD 8.28 to USD 42.10 (USD 2023/m 3 distillate) for produced water, dominated by the value of magnesium and lithium. Comparing the maximum value of critical minerals contained in produced water and the maximum treatment costs, the value of critical minerals exceeds the cost of treatment by USD 17.80/m 3 distillate, which signals a potential revenue opportunity.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Direct Recycling R&D at the ReCell Center

The expected rapid growth in electric vehicle deployment will inevitably be followed by a corresponding rise in the supply of end-of-life vehicles and their lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The batteries may be reused, but will eventually be spent and provide a potential domestic resource that can help supply materials for future battery production. However, commercial recycling processes depend on profits from recovery of cobalt, use of which is being reduced in new cathode chemistries. The U.S. Department of Energy, therefore, established the ReCell Center in early 2019 to develop robust LIB recycling technology that would be economical even for batteries that contain no cobalt. The central feature of the technology is recovery of the cathode material with its unique crystalline cathode morphology intact in order to retain its value and functionality. Other materials are recovered as well in order to maximize revenues and minimize waste-handling costs. Analysis and modeling serve to evaluate and compare process options so that we can identify those that will be most economical while still minimizing energy use and environmental impacts. This paper provides background and describes highlights of the center’s first 2 years of operation.

Gaines, Linda (ORCID:0000000237263387)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cobalt Dissolution from Metal Oxides and Battery Cathode Materials with Acetic Acid-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents

Recovery of critical metals with alternative solvents beyond those in traditional pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy is needed in consideration of environmental challenges and the growing demand for metals in energy technologies. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as sustainable alternatives for solvometallurgy in metal separation and recovery. In this study, DESs based on hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) including choline chloride (ChCl), acetylcholine chloride (AChCl), and betaine (Bet) were investigated for their effectiveness when paired with acetic acid (AA) as the hydrogen bond donor (HBD) for the dissolution of cobalt from cobalt oxide (CoO), lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ), and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LNMC). Based on the spectroscopic analysis of the metal dissolution and coordination, Bet:AA was found to provide the highest solubility for CoO (0.33 M) in the form of an octahedral complex. On the other hand, ChCl:AA solvent was more effective at dissolving LiCoO 2 with 0.04 M Co 2+ corresponding to 17% dissolution efficiency and LNMC with 0.06 M Co 2+ corresponding to 72% dissolution efficiency at 50 °C, compared to Bet:AA (9% for LiCoO 2 and 31% for LNMC). Although the solubilities of LiCoO 2 and LNMC have not significantly improved in ChCl:AA, this difference in effectiveness between the solvents clearly reveals the role of the HBA in solubilization. The coordination synergy between the chloride and the –OH moiety facilitates the breakdown of the LiCoO 2 driven by the alteration of the solvent polarity. Cobalt in these solutions was found dominantly as a tetrahedral [CoCl 4 ] 2– complex. A chemical separation of cobalt oxalate from a mixed-metal oxide system based on Co, Fe, and Ni was also demonstrated, confirming the potential of these solvents for practical metal recovery.

Cobalt separation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Demonstration of Electroreduction Technology to Convert GNF Uranium Oxide Powder to Metal

Global Nuclear Fuel – Americas LLC (GNF) has partnered with Argonne National Laboratory to demonstrate electroreduction of uranium oxides produced by deconversion of UF 6 to uranium metal through the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program under the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate the domestic production of metallic advanced reactor fuels. Electroreduction of uranium oxide was first demonstrated and patented by Argonne in the early 2000s as a technology to convert used oxide nuclear fuel from light water reactors to metal for further fuel reprocessing. More recently, electroreduction has been proposed as a front-end technology for metallization of uranium oxides produced by deconversion of UF 6 and for scrap recovery of oxide materials. During the electroreduction process, UO 2 powder is contained in a stainless-steel mesh basket with a cathode lead located in the center of the UO 2 bed. The basket is immersed in lithium chloride molten salt electrolyte containing 1 wt% lithium oxide along with a platinum anode and a nickel/nickel oxide (Ni/NiO) reference electrode. Current is applied to the cell between the cathode and anode to reduce the UO 2 to metallic uranium via a solid-state reduction reaction. Oxide ions released from the UO 2 during reduction are transported through the salt to the anode where oxygen gas is evolved. Once reduction is complete, the basket containing the metallicized uranium is removed from the salt and can be processed to remove the salt and consolidate the uranium into an ingot for use in metallic fuel fabrication. This project was performed to provide evidence of the electroreduction technology readiness level for metallization of UO 2 powder, identify and retire technical risks for industrialization of electroreduction, and accelerate the path to commercialization for metallic fast reactor fuel production. To that end, five electroreduction tests were performed with UO 2 provided by GNF and the resulting product was analyzed for the extent of conversion to metal and for impurity contents of the metal product to verify that electroreduction does not introduce impurities that would prevent use of the product in metallic fuel fabrication.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Separation of cobalt, nickel, and manganese in leach solutions of waste lithium-ion batteries using Dowex M4195 ion exchange resin

Current methods to separate and recover critical metals from waste lithium-ion battery (LIB) scrap require multiple unit operations that involve selective leaching and a combination of separation methods. These methods include impurity removal, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and precipitation, to achieve high purity Co and Ni products. In this paper an efficient extraction strategy was developed to individually separate Ni and Co from a LIB leachate that was generated from an electrochemical leaching process. By using Dowex M4195 resin, as the only method of separation, additional impurity removal operations were not needed. After loading and eluting, three different fractions were obtained: 99.0% Ni concentrate, 98.5% Co concentrate, and a Li/Mn rich concentrate allowing the separation of Ni, Co and Mn. Here, the developed process is then presented as an alternative for metal recovery from leachates from scrap LIBs with minimum chemical addition and pH adjustment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Innovative Approach to Recycle Lithium‐Ion Battery Electrolytes via Sequential Chemical Processes

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EV) has driven the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This will result in a large amount of spent batteries that if not properly disposed will pose significant environmental damage, especially from the electrolyte. The electrolyte contains lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6 ), which when treated by either incineration or water washing can generate harmful F- and P-containing substances such as hydrofluoric acid (HF). In this study, an innovative two-step process is presented to separate and purify both the solvents and lithium salts from the spent electrolyte. Antisolvent assisted precipitation is used to selectively isolate LiPF 6 salt in the form of a complex with ethylene carbonate. Subsequent distillation then separates the volatile electrolyte solvents and antisolvent from each other effectively. In addition, a new process to further purify LiPF 6 from its ethylene carbonate (EC) complex is also presented. This electrolyte recycling method not only enables the recovery of the high-value LiPF 6 salt and the electrolyte solvents, but also paves the way for environmentally responsible and circular LIB recycling.

electrolyte↗
DOE OSTI2021

Life‐Cycle Assessment Considerations for Batteries and Battery Materials

Abstract Rechargeable batteries are necessary for the decarbonization of the energy systems, but life‐cycle environmental impact assessments have not achieved consensus on the environmental impacts of producing these batteries. Nonetheless, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to inform the development of better‐performing batteries with reduced environmental burden. This review explores common practices in lithium‐ion battery LCAs and makes recommendations for how future studies can be more interpretable, representative, and impactful. First, LCAs should focus analyses of resource depletion on long‐term trends toward more energy and resource‐intensive material extraction and processing rather than treating known reserves as a fixed quantity being depleted. Second, future studies should account for extraction and processing operations that deviate from industry best‐practices and may be responsible for an outsized share of sector‐wide impacts, such as artisanal cobalt mining. Third, LCAs should explore at least 2–3 battery manufacturing facility scales to capture size‐ and throughput‐dependent impacts such as dry room conditioning and solvent recovery. Finally, future LCAs must transition away from kg of battery mass as a functional unit and instead make use of kWh of storage capacity and kWh of lifetime energy throughput.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anion and Cation Size Effects on Viscoelasticity and Ion Transport of Imine Vitrimer Electrolytes

Vitrimers are a subclass of covalent adaptable networks where bond exchange occurs without breaking, thereby offering polymer materials with enhanced mechanical strength, thermal stability, and reprocessability compared to conventional electrolytes. Despite recent progress, we lack a complete understanding of the role of ions in controlling the physical and chemical properties of vitrimers. In this work, we study how different salts affect the viscoelasticity, morphology, and ionic conductivity of imine vitrimers. Our results show that addition of salt decreases relaxation times at elevated temperatures due to the catalytic effect of the cations, with smaller cations leading to faster relaxation. However, the activation energy for terminal relaxation increases with smaller cation size. This apparent discrepancy is attributed to the complex interplay among bond exchange kinetics, chain diffusion, and salt dissociation. Anions act as plasticizers by reducing the shear modulus, except lithium bromide. Ionic conductivity increases with larger anions due to smaller salt dissociation energies, whereas the cation type has a minor impact as polymer segmental dynamics dominate ionic transport. Imine-based vitrimers are reprocessable and recyclable, maintaining original mechanical properties and ionic conductivity after recovery. Mixed salt vitrimers exhibited tunable viscoelasticity and ionic conductivity intermediate to the analogous pure salt systems. Altogether, this work highlights the role of salt in the dynamic and conductive properties of imine vitrimers.

Anions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Manufacturing Cathodes via Dry-Processing for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Conventional lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes are prepared through a wet slurry process with n-methyl pyrrolidone solvent, especially for cathodes. The wet slurry process encounters several disadvantages such as binder migration, electrode cracking in thick electrodes, energy intense heat-dry NMP solvent removal, and costly NMP recovery. The cost and energy consumption of coating and drying of electrode are about 11.5 % and > 46 % in LIB manufacturing, respectively. Thereby, it is essential to develop a facile roll-to-roll solvent-free LIB electrode processing for reducing the cost and energy consumption. Recently, the Maxwell-type dry processing (DP) shines new lights on LIB manufacturing, which mainly bases on dry mixing (DM) of electrode component powder followed by calendering into electrode films and laminating onto current collectors, realizing the rapid manufacturing of LIB electrodes in a powder-to-film manner for industries. This report shares some recent progress on the DP from our group. We aim to further advance the manufacturing science of DP by correlating the processing conditions with electrode properties and performance. Particularly, we investigate the effect of DM, and compression on the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder fiberization, porosity, mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and electrochemical behaviors of electrodes. The DM study suggests that PTFE fiberization heavily relies on the degree of DM. Insufficient DM results in poor PTFE fiberization while outrageous DM damages the formed PTFE fibers. Both negatively affect the mechanical behaviors of the electrodes and their rate capability. However, moderate DM is highly beneficial. In addition, our study of the porosity impact reveals that LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC) secondary particles can be broken into primary particles due to compression, especially at low porosity. Those fractured NMC secondary particles exhibit lower modulus. We propose that a moderate porosity of around 32% favors the electronic conductivity, charge transfer impedance and rate capability. The study of the cathodic electrolyte interphase layer of PTFE-based DPed electrode confirms that side reactions of PTFE binder due to the formation of LiF in LiClO4-based electrolyte.

Tao, Runming↗
NASA NTRS1983

Low temperature performance tests

Lithium cell performance at extremely low temperatures was tested and materials which could be used to make a cell completely electro-chemically inert for the purpose of deactivation were investigated. The effects of temperature and current density on polarization and performance loss are discussed along with discharge recovery behavior.

Goebel, F.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Perspectives on Cobalt Supply through 2030 in the Face of Changing Demand

Lithium-ion battery demand, particularly for electric vehicles, is projected to increase by over 300% throughout the next decade. With these expected increases in demand, cobalt (Co)-dependent technologies face the risk of significant impact from supply concentration and mining limitations in the short term. In this study, increased extraction and secondary recovery form the basis of modeling scenarios that examine implications on Co supply to 2030. Demand for Co is estimated to range from 235 to 430 ktonnes in 2030. This upper bound on Co demand in 2030 corresponds to 280% of world refinery capacity in 2016. Supply from scheduled and unscheduled production as well as secondary production is estimated to range from 320 to 460 ktonnes. Our analysis suggests the following: (1) Co price will remain relatively stable in the short term, given that this range suggests even a supply surplus, (2) future Co supply will become more diversified geographically and mined more as a byproduct of nickel (Ni) over this period, and (3) for this demand to be met, attention should be paid to sustained investments in refined supply of Co and secondary recovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Unlocking the value of recycling scrap from Li-ion battery manufacturing: Challenges and outlook

The growing global trend toward mobile electrification is primarily driven by the rising popularity of electric vehicles, leading to an unprecedented surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries. As a result, the importance of battery recycling has become increasingly apparent. Battery recycling aims to recover valuable materials from both spent batteries and battery manufacturing scraps. By recycling these resources, the reliance on raw material extraction is reduced, which benefits resource conservation and minimizes the need for new mining operations. While significant attention has been given to the recycling of spent batteries, less emphasis has been placed on the recycling and recovery of battery scraps. However, it is important to recognize that many gigafactories are still taking steps to improve their manufacturing processes, and end-of-life batteries take approximately 10 years to become suitable for recycling, the manufacturing scraps will serve as the primary sources for recycling in this decade. This review delves into the progress in recycling technologies associated with battery manufacturing scraps, shedding light on the challenges, opportunities, and evolving perspectives surrounding battery manufacturing scrap recycling. In conclusion, we aim to contribute to the knowledge base of battery manufacturing scrap recycling and promote a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Recycled graphite enabled superior performance for lithium ion batteries

Recycling graphite attracts growing attention since cumulative amount of spent Li-ion batteries and the shortage of graphite supply chain. 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, the important roles of defects and functional groups on the graphite surface are deeply studied, and a closed-loop graphite recycling process with the surface recovery and modification for the graphite from the end-of-life batteries is demonstrated. The recovered graphite delivers a purity of over 99.9 % and an average initial coulombic efficiency of 91.5 %. Compared with commercial graphite in industrial standard battery testing parameters, full cells with recovered graphite possess enhanced rate reversibility, doubled cycle life, over 10 % higher capacity along with half anode material cost. In conclusion, 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.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Safety issues of defective lithium-ion batteries: identification and risk evaluation

Lithium-ion batteries inevitably suffer minor damage or defects caused by external mechanical abusive loading, e.g. , penetration, deformation, and scratch without triggering a hard/major short circuit. The replacement of cells becomes a dilemma if the safety risk of the defective batteries remains unknown. Herein, by introducing a representative defect form, i.e. , screw indentation, we demonstrate the safety characteristics of defective batteries. We prove that defective batteries have a significantly increased thermal risk and deteriorated mechanical integrity, but can go undetected due to prompt voltage recovery and insignificant local temperature increase. We discover that the voltage curve within the first few cycles contains sufficient information to identify defective batteries from otherwise good ones and propose methodologies to monitor the cells. Capacity loss and current leakage are two characteristics that can be estimated using the voltage curve. According to the defect size and position, the capacity loss could be 1 to 10 2 mA h and the leakage current could be 5–50 mA. Results remove the barriers for defective battery safety risk evaluation, enabling identification, monitoring, and early warning of minor damaged batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗