Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a widely used energy storage technology as they possess high energy density and are characterized by the reversible intercalation/deintercalation of Li ions between electrodes. The rapid development of LIBs has led to increased production efficiency and lower costs for manufacturers, resulting in a growing demand for batteries and their application across various industries, particularly in different types of vehicles. In order to meet the demand for LIBs while minimizing climate-impacting emissions, the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of LIBs is a critical step toward achieving a sustainable battery economy. This paper provides a comprehensive review of lithium-ion battery recycling, covering topics such as current recycling technologies, technological advancements, policy gaps, design strategies, funding for pilot projects, and a comprehensive strategy for battery recycling. Additionally, this paper emphasizes the challenges associated with developing LIB recycling and the opportunities arising from these challenges, such as the potential for innovation and the creation of a more sustainable and circular economy. The environmental implications of LIB recycling are also evaluated with methodologies able to provide a sustainability analysis of the selected technology. This paper aims to enhance the comprehension of these trade-offs and encourage discussion on determining the “best” recycling route when targets are in conflict.

An enhancement of two orders of magnitude in the ambient temperature ionic conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide)-based nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NCPE) membranes is here fundamentally achieved by the incorporation of specific amounts of aluminium-based metal organic framework (MOF) as the filler. Thorough characterization, particularly solid-state NMR and FT-IR studies, shed light on the specific role of the defective MOF frameworks in greatly enhancing the Li⁺ ion mobility inside the polymeric matrix. The prepared NCPEs are highly stable towards lithium metal even after prolonged storage time, and an excellent cycling profile is evidenced even at moderate temperatures, which has never been reported so far for an all-solid-state lithium polymer cell composed of Li/NCPE/LiFePO₄.

Wide modulation of the band gap induced by organic cation replacement in the FA _1−x MA _x SnBr ₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solution.

The most common MXene composition Ti₃C₂T_x (T = F, O) shows outstanding stability as anode for sodium ion batteries (100% of capacity retention after 530 cycles with charge efficiency >99.7%). However, the reversibility of the intercalation/deintercalation process is strongly affected by the synthesis parameters determining, in turn, significant differences in the material structure. This study proposes a new approach to identify the crystal features influencing the performances, using a structural model built with a multitechnique approach that allows exploring the short-range order of the lamella. The model is then used to determine the long-range order by inserting defective elements into the structure. With this strategy it is possible to fit the MXene diffraction patterns, obtain the structural parameters including the stoichiometric composition of the terminations (neutron data), and quantify the structural disorder which can be used to discriminate the phases with the best electrochemical properties.