The Re-Synthesis of LiCoO2 from Spent Lithium Ion Batteries Separated by Vacuum-Assisted Heat-Treating Method

Abstract

The LiCoO2 is re-synthesized from spent lithium ion batteries by a simple process combined with vacuum-assisted heat-treating and solid state reaction at 750°C. The batteries can be fully discharged in 1wt.% NaCl solution without the leakage of case. The results show that the product after two times of heat-treatment mainly contains of Co3O4. The re-synthesized LiCoO2 shows a reversible capacity of 106.8 mAh g-1 and almost no capacity degradation after 20 charge/discharge cycles. The relative low reversible capacity is ascribed to the large particle size of the raw material Co3O4, which can be optimized by adjusting the ball-milling parameters to ensure the fully mixture of the Co3O4 and Li2CO3.