Upcycling spent layered oxides into high-capacity Li-rich materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries
Guangmin Zhou
Nature Communications, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72531-4 Direct recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries is a promising and essential approach to address challenges related to energy security and resource sustainability. Herein, authors report an upcycling strategy that reconstructs degraded ternary layered oxide cathode materials into Li-rich oxides. The strategy is scaled to kilogram-level production and enables an energy density of 377 Wh kg−1 in a 14 Ah pouch cell