In a method for recycling all solid-state batteries, spent battery cells are dissolved in anhydrous ethanol. The resulting solution is separated into solids and supernatants which are separately processed to regenerate the solid electrolyte and the solid electrode materials. The supernatant is subjected to vacuum evaporation to precipitate an electrolyte powder, which is then annealed under flowing oxygen. The solid electrode material is regenerated by washing the solids with water, drying the washed solids, relithiating the washed solids, and annealing the relithiated solids. The resulting materials are suitable for use in fabrication of new all-solid state batteries.

A sputtering target comprising a top coat including a composition of lithium cobalt oxide LiyCozOx. x is smaller than or equal to y+z, and the lithium cobalt oxide has an X-Ray diffraction pattern with a peak P2 at 44°±0.2° 2-theta. The X-Ray diffraction pattern is measured with an X-Ray diffractometer with CuKα1 radiation.

This application provides a lithium-ion battery and an apparatus. The lithium-ion battery includes an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. A positive active material of the positive electrode plate includes Li.sub.x1Co.sub.y1M.sub.1-y1O.sub.2-z1Q.sub.z1, where 0.5≤x1≤1.2, 0.8≤y1≤1.0, 0≤z1≤0.1, M is selected from one or more of Al, Ti, Zr, Y, and Mg, and Q is selected from one or more of F, Cl, and S. The electrolyte contains an additive A that is a polynitrile six-membered nitrogen-heterocyclic compound with a relatively low oxidation potential. The lithium-ion battery has superb cycle performance and storage performance, especially under high-temperature and high-voltage conditions.

A positive electrode active material has a small difference in a crystal structure between the charged state and the discharged state. For example, the crystal structure and volume of the positive electrode active material, which has a layered rock-salt crystal structure in the discharged state and a pseudo-spinel crystal structure in the charged state at a high voltage of approximately 4.6 V, are less likely to be changed by charging and discharging as compared with those of a known positive electrode active material. In order to form the positive electrode active material having the pseudo-spinel crystal structure in the charged state, it is preferable that a halogen source such as a fluorine and a magnesium source be mixed with particles of a composite oxide containing lithium, a transition metal, and oxygen, which is synthesized in advance, and then the mixture be heated at an appropriate temperature for an appropriate time.

A CoVO.sub.x composite electrode and method of making is described. The composite electrode comprises a substrate with an average 0.5-5 μm thick layer of CoVO.sub.x having pores with average diameters of 2-200 nm. The method of making the composite electrode involves contacting the substrate with an aerosol comprising a solvent, a cobalt complex, and a vanadium complex. The CoVO.sub.x composite electrode is capable of being used in an electrochemical cell for water oxidation.

Provided are a positive active material for a lithium secondary battery, a method of preparing the positive active material, a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery including the positive active material, and a lithium secondary battery including a positive electrode including the positive active material, in which the positive active material may include a nickel-based lithium metal oxide secondary particle including a plurality of large primary particles, the nickel-based lithium metal oxide secondary particle may have a hollow structure having a pore inside, a size of each of the large primary particles may be in a range of about 2 micrometers (μm) to about 6 μm, and a size of the nickel-based lithium metal oxide secondary particle may be in a range of about 10 μm to about 18 μm.

Compounds, particles, and cathode active materials that can be used in lithium ion batteries are described herein. Methods of making such compounds, powders, and cathode active materials are described. The particles have a particle size distribution with a D50 ranging from 10 μm to 20 μm.

A positive electrode active material that has high capacity and excellent charge and discharge cycle performance for a secondary battery is provided. The positive electrode active material includes a group of particles including a first group of particles and a second group of particles. The group of particles includes lithium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, oxygen, and fluorine. When the number of cobalt atoms included in the group of particles is taken as 100, the number of nickel atoms is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 2, the number of aluminum atoms is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 2, and the number of magnesium atoms is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 6. When particle size distribution in the group of particles is measured by a laser diffraction and scattering method, the first group of particles has a first peak and the second group of particles has a second peak; the first peak has a local maximum value at longer than or equal to 2 μm and shorter than or equal to 4 μm, and the second peak has a local maximum value at longer than or equal to 9 μm and shorter than or equal to 25 μm.

Regeneration of degraded cathode particles in lithium-ion batteries is achieved using a combination of hydrothermal treatment of cycled electrode particles followed by short thermal annealing. The methods provide for direct regeneration of Li-ion cathode materials including LiCoO.sub.2, LiMn.sub.2O.sub.4, LiFePO.sub.4, and Li.sub.xNi.sub.y Mn.sub.z Co.sub.1−y−zO.sub.2, in an economical and environmentally-friendly process.

A method for forming a sintered composition including providing a slurry precursor including a lithium-, sodium-, or magnesium-based compound; tape casting the slurry precursor to form a green tape; and sintering the green tape at a temperature in a range of 500° C. to 1350° C. for a time in a range of less than 60 min to form a sintered composition, such that the slurry precursor further includes a solvent and dispersant. The dispersant may include an amine compound, a carboxylic acid compound, or combinations, mixtures, or salts thereof.