Graphite and Cobalt Recycled from Li-Ion Batteries: A Valuable Raw Material for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysts

The rapidly growing Li-ion battery (LIB) industry is struggling to find feasible methods to recycle end-of-life batteries as well as identify new applications for the recycled materials. The current study demonstrates a promising strategy to enhance the value of the LIB waste anode and cathode components as a raw material for electrocatalyst production. Recovered graphite and cobalt from spent LIBs (SLIBs) are used to obtain active, low cost, and stable nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). SLIB graphite has been turned into graphite oxide which is thereafter codoped with Co and nitrogen to prepare an active electrocatalyst toward ORR with the onset potential of 0.98 V (vs RHE) in alkaline media. Extensive characterization is carried out on the compound, identifying the key factor driving the performance in the synergistic combination of cobalt and nitrogen. The material was successfully benchmarked against a commercial 19.8% platinum catalyst, showing comparable performance and a superior tolerance to methanol. The demonstrated ability to recycle LIBs into industrially relevant electrocatalysts can lead the way to a fully sustainable lifecycle for energy-storage solutions.