"Rinse and Repeat: An Easy New Way to Recycle Batteries is Here" (2023) https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/02/01/an-easy-new-way-to-recycle-batteries-is-here/ http

"Rinse and Repeat: An Easy New Way to Recycle Batteries is Here" (2023) https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/02/01/an-easy-new-way-to-recycle-batteries-is-here/ https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/02/01/an-easy-new-way-to-rec... : > Their product, called the Quick-Release Binder, makes it simple and affordable to separate the valuable materials in Li-ion batteries from the other components and recover them for reuse in a new battery. [...] > The new Quick-Release Binder is made from two commercially available polymers, polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyethylenimine (PEI), that are joined together through a bond between positively charged nitrogen atoms in PEI and negatively charged oxygen atoms in PAA. When the solid binder material is placed in alkaline water containing sodium hydroxide (Na+OH–), the sodium ion pops into the bond site, breaking the two polymers apart. The separated polymers dissolve into the liquid, freeing any electrode components embedded within. > The binder can be used to make anodes and cathodes, and is about one-tenth the price of two of the most commonly used commercial binders.