Designing Recyclable Electrolytes for Lithium‐Ion and Next‐Generation Energy Storage Devices

This perspective aims to provide guidelines for designing electrolytes compatible with simple and sustainable recycling methods. Special emphasis is placed on the formulation of hydrolysis-resistant electrolytes, which not only simplifies the whole recycling process but also enables simultaneous electrode/electrolyte recovery. The opportunities and challenges of emerging energy storage devices are critically examined.

The resource supply concerns raised by the rapid growth in battery production make the recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) a vital strategy for achieving a circular economy. However, current efforts mainly focus on cathode materials, while overlooking other cell components, such as the electrolyte. Commercial electrolytes, composed of costly and nonrenewable lithium salts and carbonate solvents, pose significant recycling challenges due to their high sensitivity toward hydrolysis, which complicates or even prevents recovery processes. This perspective explores the design-for-recycling concept applied to LIB electrolytes, providing insights to develop less reactive formulations compatible with simple and scalable aqueous processes. Special emphasis is placed on the simultaneous electrolyte/electrode recovery, a strategy that could enhance the economic feasibility of electrolyte recovery while reducing the overall complexity of LIB recycling. Additionally, the recycling opportunities emerging from the early stage of development of next-generation energy storage devices are highlighted. The electrolyte recycling potential of solid-state batteries, electrochemical double-layer capacitors, and alternative battery chemistries, such as Na-ion, K-ion, or Li–S batteries, is examined. Overall, this work highlights the importance of designing electrolyte formulations with end-of-life recovery in mind to enable more recyclable energy storage devices.

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