In a breakthrough that could revolutionize the global battery industry, Chinese researchers claim to have developed a new way to dramatically extend the lifespan of depleted lithium-ion batteries, in some cases by between 2,300% and 11,900%.

Likening their approach to treating an “illness,” researchers at Fudan University’s Institute of Fiber Materials and Devices in Shanghai found that injecting an organic lithium salt into depleted batteries could restore lost lithium ions, significantly extending their lifespan.

The process increases battery cycle life from 500 to 2,000 charge cycles to as many as 60,000, allowing depleted batteries to be revived without costly disassembly or recycling.

The study was published Wednesday in the prestigious journal Nature.

Lithium-ion batteries consist of four components: a cathode, an anode, a separator, and an electrolyte containing lithium ions. In the course of normal use, lithium ions shuttle energy between the cathode and anode.

Over time, however, some lithium ions form deposits, becoming what scientists call “dead lithium.” This process gradually decreases the concentration of lithium ions in the electrolyte, reducing the battery’s capacity to hold a charge. When a battery’s capacity drops below 80% of its initial value, the battery is considered to have failed.

“Once lithium ions are depleted to a certain level, the battery is rendered unusable,” Gao Yue, a corresponding author on the paper, told domestic media Thursday. “This has been the foundational principle governing lithium-ion batteries since their invention in 1990.”

To address this problem, the researchers treated depleted batteries like a sick patient: as long as the malfunctioning component can be treated, the battery could be restored to full health.

“We looked at the basic principles of batteries, and after repeated experiments, we realized they fail in much the same way the human body does when it falls ill,” Gao explained. “So why not develop materials to replenish the lithium-ion and extend the lifespan and service time of batteries, like we would to heal an illness?”

To restore the batteries, the team injected them with an organic lithium salt, replacing “dead” lithium ions and lengthening the batteries’ lifespans. Because the process can be repeated, battery life cycle could be extended from between 500 and 2,000 charges to as many as 60,000.

As China’s first generation of new energy vehicles reach the end of their lifespans, the country’s battery recycling and disposal industry is already showing signs of strain. China retired more than 580,000 tons of new energy vehicle batteries in 2023, according to data from the China Society of Automotive Engineers. An estimate by the ASKCI consulting agency suggests that number could grow to 3.5 million tons per year by 2030.

In the future, China will need to place greater emphasis on the development of sustainable, longer-lasting batteries, Yao Ruiqi, a chemist at Northeast Normal University, told Sixth Tone Thursday.

“With the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and energy storage systems, the extension of battery life will greatly reduce replacement costs for users and improve the economic viability of batteries,” Yao said.

Yao said that battery injection technology could also have implications for grid storage, as extending the lifespan of these batteries would substantially lower operational costs for the power industry.

China is the world’s leading producer of lithium-ion batteries, accounting for approximately 70% of global output, according to domestic media reports. It is also a major consumer, relying on lithium-ion batteries to fuel its growing fleet of new energy vehicles as well as store the energy generated by its solar and wind sectors.

However, the battery sector’s rapid growth has led to significant environmental challenges, including rising pollution associated with their production and disposal.

The surge in lithium-ion battery use has also given rise to a largely unregulated gray market in battery recycling, which authorities have blamed for a series of fires.

(Header image: VCG)