# Direct Reuse of Aluminium and Copper Current Collectors from Spent Lithium-ion Batteries

**Authors:** Pengcheng Zhu, Elizabeth H. Driscoll, Bo Dong, Roberto Sommerville, Anton Zorin, Peter R. Slater, Emma Kendrick  
**arXiv:** [2210.07678](https://arxiv.org/abs/2210.07678)  
**Date:** 2022-10-14  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2210.07678v1/

## Key points

- The increasing number of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is a waste-management challenge
- Aluminium and copper current collectors make up over 15% of LIB weight
- Directly reusing current collectors reduces waste and provides a renewable source of aluminium and copper
- Researchers successfully reclaimed current collectors from commercial spent LIBs using chemical treatments
- Reclaimed current collectors were reused for cathodes and anodes
- Treated current collectors had different surface compositions and morphology compared to pristine ones, affecting properties like wettability, adhesion, and electrical conductivity
- Reused current collectors showed similar electrochemical performance to pristine ones at low C rates but caution needed at high C rates for aluminium current collectors due to low contact conductivity
- Surface morphology affects the reuse process, with observations of PVDF binder located at the etched Al/NMC622 interface and different adhesion forces for Cu current collectors

## Summary

The ever-increasing number of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become a significant waste-management challenge. One important component of LIBs is the aluminium and copper current collectors, which make up more than 15% of the weight. Directly reusing these current collectors can effectively reduce LIB waste and provide a renewable source of aluminium and copper, while also avoiding lengthy manufacturing processes and associated energy input and material consumption. In this study, researchers successfully reclaimed aluminium and copper current collectors from commercial spent LIBs using different chemical treatments. These reclaimed current collectors were then reused for LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 cathodes and graphite anodes, respectively. The treated current collectors exhibited different surface compositions and morphology compared to pristine ones, resulting in distinct wettability, adhesion, and electrical conductivity properties. The reused current collectors demonstrated similar electrochemical performance to pristine ones at low C rates. However, caution should be exercised when using aluminium current collectors at high C rates due to their relatively low contact conductivity. This work provides substantial evidence that the direct reuse of aluminium and copper current collectors is possible. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of considering the surface morphology of current collectors during their reuse process. It was observed that a substantial amount of PVDF binder was located at the etched Al/NMC622 interface, indicating a high affinity between carbon black and PVDF binder in forming carbon binder domains (CBD). On the other hand, all three Cu current collectors showed similar adhesion forces with etched Cu exhibiting slightly higher adhesion forces compared to washed Cu and pristine Cu. Overall, this research contributes valuable insights into the direct reuse of aluminium and copper current collectors from spent LIBs by exploring different chemical treatments for reclamation as well as understanding how surface morphology affects performance characteristics such as wettability, adhesion, and electrical conductivity; thus providing a foundation for future efforts in sustainable battery waste management and resource recovery.