MIT researchers have developed a new “self-assembling” battery material for electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling.
Currently, many used EV batteries end up in landfills because recycling is complex and expensive, and often uses harsh chemicals.
MIT’s new approach is based on a “recycle-first” mindset.
Instead of designing a battery for performance and then figuring out how to recycle it later, the team has designed a key battery component to be easily recyclable from the beginning.
But what makes it so special is that it can quickly break apart when submerged in a simple organic liquid.
“The electrolyte holds the two battery electrodes together and provides the lithium-ion pathways,” said Yukio Cho, the paper’s first author.
“So, when you want to recycle the battery, the entire electrolyte layer can fall off naturally, and you can recycle the electrodes separately,” Cho added.
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