Graphite recycling from spent lithium-ion batteries for fabrication of high-performance aluminum-ion batteries

Efficient extraction of electrode components from recycled lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and their high-value applications are critical for the sustainable and eco-friendly utilization of resources. This work demonstrates a novel approach to stripping graphite anodes embedded with Li⁺ from spent LIBs directly in anhydrous ethanol, which can be utilized as high efficiency cathodes for aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs). Recycled graphite (RG) with foam morphology and crystal structure defects was obtained under the action of ultrasonic peeling and gas generation reaction between residual lithium-graphite interlayer compound and ethanol. The inherent open structure of RG facilitates the intercalation/deintercalation of chloralum anions (AlCl ₄ ⁻ ) and enhances its AIB cathode performance. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the RG cathode has a specific capacity of 123 mAh·g⁻¹ at a current of 5 A·g⁻¹, which is 1.55 times higher than that of unprocessed natural graphite and 1.25 times higher than that of commercial artificial graphite. Additionally, the RG cathode demonstrated remarkable stability, retaining its high particular capacity of 138.15 mAh·g⁻¹ even through 2000 times at 10 A·g⁻¹ in a low-cost electrolyte consisting of an ionic liquid/urea/AlCl₃ mixture. This work offers a novel approach to reusing of graphite anode waste materials from LIBs.