On decoating of polymer electrolyte-based solid-state battery cathodes†

Abstract

It is assumed that solid-state batteries (SSBs) represent a significant advancement in battery technology, offering a range of benefits over traditional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, there has been a scarcity of research examining the sustainability of these materials, with only a limited number of recent studies focusing on recycling concepts. In this study we examined the process behaviour of polymer based composite cathodes. For this, we identified the most suitable comminution principles to separate the cathode active material (CAM), polymeric solid-state electrolyte (SSE) and conductive additives from the electrode foil. In addition to thermal pre-treatment of the cathodes with subsequent dry mechanical stressing in a hammer mill, stressing in a wet agitated media mill was found to be a particularly suitable processing approach. Based on these findings, a preliminary process design for recycling polymer-based SSBs is proposed.