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1. Lithium-ion battery recycling—a review of the material supply and policy infrastructure

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41427-024-00562-8  

   Tembo, P M; Dyer, C; Subramanian, V (December 2024, NPG Asia Materials)

   Abstract The current change in battery technology followed by the almost immediate adoption of lithium as a key resource powering our energy needs in various applications is undeniable. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are at the forefront of the industry and offer excellent performance. The application of LIBs is expected to continue to increase. The adoption of renewable energies has spurred this LIB proliferation and resulted in a dramatic increase in LIB waste. In this review, we address waste LIB collection and segregation approaches, waste LIB treatment approaches, and related economics. We have coined a “green score” concept based on a review of several quantitative analyses from the literature to compare the three mainstream recycling processes: pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and direct recycling. In addition, we analyze the current trends in policymaking and in government incentive development directed toward promoting LIB waste recycling. Future LIB recycling perspectives are analyzed, and opportunities and threats to LIB recycling are presented. 

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2. Review of Layered Transition Metal Oxide Materials for Cathodes in Sodium-Ion Batteries

   https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16020137  

   Ahangari, Mehdi; Zhou, Meng; Luo, Hongmei (February 2025, Micromachines)

   The growing interest in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is driven by scarcity and the rising costs of lithium, coupled with the urgent need for scalable and sustainable energy storage solutions. Among various cathode materials, layered transition metal oxides have emerged as promising candidates due to their structural similarity to lithium-ion battery (LIB) counterparts and their potential to deliver high energy density at reduced costs. However, significant challenges remain, including limited capacity at high charge/discharge rates and structural instability during extended cycling. Addressing these issues is critical for advancing SIB technology toward industrial applications, particularly for large-scale energy storage systems. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of layered sodium transition metal oxides, focusing on their structural properties, electrochemical performance, and degradation mechanisms. Special attention is given to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to their instability, such as structural phase transitions, and cationic/anionic redox behavior. Additionally, recent advancements in material design strategies, including doping, surface modifications, and composite formation, are discussed to highlight the progress toward enhancing the stability and performance of these materials. This work aims to bridge the knowledge gaps and inspire further innovations in the development of high-performance cathodes for sodium-ion batteries. 

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3. Composition and state prediction of lithium-ion cathode via convolutional neural network trained on scanning electron microscopy images

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-024-01279-6  

   Oh, Jimin; Yeom, Jiwon; Madika, Benediktus; Kim, Kwang Man; Liow, Chi Hao; Agar, Joshua C.; Hong, Seungbum (May 2024, npj Computational Materials)

   Abstract High-throughput materials research is strongly required to accelerate the development of safe and high energy-density lithium-ion battery (LIB) applicable to electric vehicle and energy storage system. The artificial intelligence, including machine learning with neural networks such as Boltzmann neural networks and convolutional neural networks (CNN), is a powerful tool to explore next-generation electrode materials and functional additives. In this paper, we develop a prediction model that classifies the major composition (e.g., 333, 523, 622, and 811) and different states (e.g., pristine, pre-cycled, and 100 times cycled) of various Li(Ni, Co, Mn)O₂(NCM) cathodes via CNN trained on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Based on those results, our trained CNN model shows a high accuracy of 99.6% where the number of test set is 3840. In addition, the model can be applied to the case of untrained SEM data of NCM cathodes with functional electrolyte additives. 

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4. Sodium-based solid electrolytes and interfacial stability. Towards solid-state sodium batteries

   https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.104009  

   Edelman, D A.; Brandt, T. G.; Temeche, E.; Laine, R. M. (July 2022, Materials today communications)

   Electrochemical energy storage is a cost-effective, sustainable method for storing and delivering energy gener- ated from renewable resources. Among electrochemical energy storage devices, the lithium-ion battery (LIB) has dominated due to its high energy and power density. The success of LIBs has generated increased interest in sodium-ion battery (NaB) technology amid concerns of the sustainability and cost of lithium resources. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that sodium-ion solid-state electrolytes (NaSEs) have considerable potential to enable new cell chemistries that can deliver superior electrochemical performance to liquid-electrolyte-based NaBs. However, their commercial implementation is hindered by slow ionic transport at ambient and chemical/ mechanical incompatibility at interfaces. In this review, various NaSEs are first characterized based on individual crystal structures and ionic conduction mechanisms. Subsequently, selected methods of modifying interfaces in sodium solid-state batteries (NaSSBs) are covered, including anode wetting, ionic liquid (IL) addition, and composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs). Finally, examples are provided of how these techniques improve cycle life and rate performance of different cathode materials including sulfur, oxide, hexacyanoferrate, and phosphate-type. A focus on interfacial modification and optimization is crucial for realizing next-generation batteries. Thus, the novel methods reviewed here could pave the way toward a NaSSB capable of with- standing the high current and cycle life demands of future applications. 

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5. Enhanced performance of Mo ₂ P monolayer as lithium-ion battery anode materials by carbon and nitrogen doping: a first principles study

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP06428A  

   Liu, Xinghui; Lin, Shiru; Gao, Jian; Shi, Hu; Kim, Seong-Gon; Chen, Zhongfang; Lee, Hyoyoung (February 2021, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   null (Ed.)

   By means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we explored the potential of carbon- and nitrogen-doped Mo 2 P (CMP and NMP) layered materials as the representative of transition metal phosphides (TMPs) for the development of lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials, paying special attention to the synergistic effects of the dopants. Both CMP and NMP have exceptional stabilities and excellent electronic conductivity, and a high theoretical maximum storage capacity of ∼ 486 mA h g −1 . Li-ion diffusion barriers on the two-dimensional (2D) CMP and NMP surfaces are extremely low (∼0.036 eV), and it is expected that on these 2D layers Li can diffuse 10 4 times faster than that on MoS 2 and graphene at room temperature, and both monolayers have relatively low average open-circuit voltage (0.38 and 0.4 eV). All these exceptional properties make CMP and NMP monolayers as promising candidates for high-performance LIB anode materials, which also demonstrates that simple doping is an effective strategy to enhance the performance of anode materials in rechargeable batteries. 

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