Cold sintering enables direct reprocessing of composite electrolytes and provides a needed approach for promoting sustainability of energy storage devices. The low sintering temperature allows co-sintering of ceramics, polymers and lithium salts, leading to re-densification of the composite structures with reprocessing. All-solid-state lithium batteries fabricated with reprocessed electrolytes exhibit a high discharge capacity and good cycling stability.

Abstract

All-solid-state batteries have the potential for enhanced safety and capacity over conventional lithium ion batteries, and are anticipated to dominate the energy storage industry. As such, strategies to enable recycling of the individual components are crucial to minimize waste and prevent health and environmental harm. Here, we use cold sintering to reprocess solid-state composite electrolytes, specifically Mg and Sr doped Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ with polypropylene carbonate (PPC) and lithium perchlorate (LLZO−PPC−LiClO₄). The low sintering temperature allows co-sintering of ceramics, polymers and lithium salts, leading to re-densification of the composite structures with reprocessing. Reprocessed LLZO−PPC−LiClO₄ exhibits densified microstructures with ionic conductivities exceeding 10⁻⁴ S/cm at room temperature after 5 recycling cycles. All-solid-state lithium batteries fabricated with reprocessed electrolytes exhibit a high discharge capacity of 168 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, and retention of performance at 0.2 C for over 100 cycles. Life cycle assessment (LCA) suggests that recycled electrolytes outperforms the pristine electrolyte process in all environmental impact categories, highlighting cold sintering as a promising technology for recycling electrolytes.