Cover Feature: Reciprocal Ternary Molten Salts Enable the Direct Upcycling of Spent Lithium-Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt Oxide (NMC) Mixtures to Make NMC 622 (ChemSusChem 14/2025)

The Cover Feature shows how direct recycling of spent LiNi_xMn_yCo_zO₂ (NMC) cathode materials is achieved by using reciprocal ternary molten salts. The molten-salt flux facilitates transition metal diffusion and exchange among various NMC particles—such as nickel-lean (e.g., NMC 111, purple dotted particles) and nickel-rich compositions (e.g., NMC 811, orange dotted particles). This compositional reconfiguration leads to improved cycling stability compared to pristine NMCs in both half-cell and full-cell tests. More information can be found in the Research Article by T. Wang, S. Dai and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500571).