重新配置固态锂电池以方便回收

可充电固态锂电池一次充电即可为手机和笔记本电脑供电数天。然而，这些电池并不环保，因为在当前的回收过程中几乎所有东西都被浪费了。现在，发表在 ACS Energy Letters 上的一项研究揭示了固态锂电池的重新配置设计，使所有组件都可以轻松回收。

Solid-state lithium batteries have the potential to power cell phones and laptops for days on a single charge, but almost everything goes to waste during the current recycling process. Now, a study published in ACS Energy Letters reveals a reconfigured design of solid-state lithium batteries that allows all components to be easily recycled.

固态锂电池一次充电即可为手机和笔记本电脑供电数天，但在目前的回收过程中几乎所有东西都被浪费了。现在，《ACS Energy Letters》上发表的一项研究揭示了固态锂电池的重新配置设计，使所有组件都可以轻松回收。

To separate the core battery components from other metal components in a coin cell battery, the researchers inserted two polymer layers at the interfaces between the electrode and the electrolyte prior to the start of the recycling process. After successful separation of the components, the team made a composite reconstructed battery with the recovered metals and electrode using cold sintering – the process of combining powder-based materials into dense forms at low temperatures through applied pressure using solvents. This process meant that they could not only recover and reuse the whole battery, but also recycle it again after its use – increasing the sustainability of rechargeable batteries.

为了将纽扣电池中的核心电池组件与其他金属组件分开，研究人员在回收过程开始之前在电极和电解质之间的界面处插入了两个聚合物层。成功分离组件后，该团队利用冷烧结技术，用回收的金属和电极制造了复合材料重构电池——冷烧结是通过使用溶剂施加压力，在低温下将粉末基材料结合成致密形式的过程。这个过程意味着他们不仅可以回收和再利用整个电池，而且可以在使用后再次回收，从而提高可充电电池的可持续性。

Importantly, the researchers found that the reconstructed battery achieved between 92.5% and 93.8% of its original capacity. “While the commercialization of all-solid-state lithium batteries is still in its early stages, our work provides important insights and ideas for designing recyclable versions of these batteries,” explained first author Yi-Chen Lan of Penn State. “While we’re not quite there yet, the long-term goal is to apply this innovation to larger batteries that could be used in devices like cell phones and laptops, once all solid-state technology becomes more prevalent.”

重要的是，研究人员发现改造后的电池容量达到了原始容量的 92.5% 至 93.8%。 “虽然全固态锂电池的商业化仍处于早期阶段，但我们的工作为设计这些电池的可回收版本提供了重要的见解和想法，”宾夕法尼亚州立大学的第一作者 Yi-Chen Lan 解释道。 “虽然我们还没有完全做到这一点，但长期目标是一旦全固态技术变得更加普遍，将这项创新应用于可用于手机和笔记本电脑等设备的更大电池。”