Selective preparation of lithium carbonate from overhaul slag by high temperature sulfuric acid roasting - Water leaching.

An efficient recycling process is developed to recover valuable materials from overhaul slag and reduce its harm to the ecological environment. The high temperature sulfuric acid roasting - water leaching technology is innovatively proposed to prepare Li2CO3 from overhaul slag. Under roasting conditions, fluorine volatilizes into the flue gas with HF, lithium is transformed into NaLi(SO4), aluminum is firstly transformed into NaAl(SO4)2, and then decomposed into Al2O3, so as to selective extraction of lithium. Under the optimal roasting - leaching conditions, the leaching rate of lithium and aluminum are 95.6% and 0.9%, respectively. Then the processes of impurity removal, and settling lithium are carried out. The Li2CO3 with recovery rate of 72.6% and purity of 98.6% could be obtained under the best settling lithium conditions. Compared with the traditional process, this work has short flow, high controllability, remarkable technical, economic, and environmental benefits. This comprehensive recycling technology is suitable for overhaul slag, and has great practical application potential for the disposal of other hazardous wastes in electrolytic aluminum industry.

A method for delivering the required neutron fluence in an accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy system employing a lithium target.

Accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems employing a solid-state lithium target indicated the reduction of neutron flux over the lifetime of a target, and its reduction could represent the neutron flux model. This study proposes a novel compensatory approach for delivering the required neutron fluence and validates its clinical applicability. The proposed approach relies on the neutron flux model and the cumulative sum of real-time measurements of proton charges. The accuracy of delivering the required neutron fluence for BNCT using the proposed approach was examined in five Li targets. With the proposed approach, the required neutron fluence could be delivered within 3.0%, and within 1.0% in most cases. However, those without using the proposed approach exceeded 3.0% in some cases. The proposed approach can consider the neutron flux reduction adequately and decrease the effect of uncertainty in neutron measurements. Therefore, the proposed approach can improve the accuracy of delivering the required fluence for BNCT even if a neutron flux reduction is expected during treatment and over the lifetime of the Li target. Additionally, by adequately revising the approach, it may apply to other type of BNCT systems employing a Li target, furthering research in this direction.

Upgrading anode graphite from retired lithium ion batteries via solid-phase exfoliation by mechanochemical strategy.

Vast quantities of anode graphite from waste lithium ion batteries (LIBs), as a type of underrated urban mine, has enormous potential to be exploited for resource recovery. Herein, we propose a benign process integrating low-temperature pyrolysis and mechanochemical techniques to upcycle spent graphite (SG) from end-of-life LIBs. Pyrolysis at 500 °C leads to about 82.2 % PVDF dissociation in thermal treated graphite (TG). Solid-phase exfoliation via ball milling assisted by urea successfully produces abundant graphite flakes and a small amount of monolayer graphene nanosheet at the edge of mechanochemically processed graphite (MG). Subsequent rinsing removes the residual LiF salts. High purity and unique edge structural features of the as-prepared MG offer more active sites and storage reservoir for intercalation and de-intercalation of lithium ions, resulting in enhanced lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, excellent reversible specific capacity and desirable rate capability. Inspiringly, MG exhibits a remarkably enhanced initial specific charge capacity of 521.3 mAh g-1 during the first charge-discharge, and only declines from 569.9 mAh g-1 to 538 mAh g-1 with slight attenuation after 50 consecutive cycles at 0.1 A/g, indicating satisfactory cycle stability. Additionally, the purification and reconstruction mechanism for MG have been illustrated in detail. This study offers a green strategy to reconstruct and upgrade anode graphite from LIBs, which can realize sustainable waste management.

Crystal phase and nanoscale size regulation utilizing the in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of bamboo sawdust in the recycling of spent lithium batteries.

Current Li-ion battery (LIB) recycling methods exhibit the disadvantages of low metal recovery efficiencies and high levels of pollution and energy consumption. Here, products generated via the in-situ catalytic pyrolysis of bamboo sawdust (BS) were utilized to regulate the crystal phase and nanoscale size of the NCM cathode to enhance the selective Li extraction and leaching efficiencies of other valuable metals from spent LIBs. The catalytic effect of the NCM cathode significantly promoted the release of gases from BS pyrolysis. These gases (H2, CO, and CH4) finally transformed the crystal phase of the NCM cathode from LiNixCoyMnzO2 into (Ni-Co/MnO/Li2CO3)/C. The size of the spent NCM cathode material was reduced approximately 31.7-fold (from 4.1 µm to 129.2 nm) after roasting. This could be ascribed to the in-situ catalytic decomposition of aromatic compounds generated via the primary pyrolysis of BS into C and H2 on the surface of the cathode material, resulting in the formation of the nanoscale composite (Ni-Co/MnO/Li2CO3)/C. This process enabled the targeted control of the crystal phase and nanoscale size of the material. Water leaching studies revealed a remarkable selective Li extraction efficiency of 99.27 %, and sulfuric acid leaching experiments with a concentration of 2 M revealed high extraction efficiencies of 99.15 % (Ni), 93.87 % (Co), and 99.46 % (Mn). Finally, a novel mechanism involving synergistic thermo-reduction and carbon modification for crystal phase regulation and nanoscale control was proposed. This study provides a novel concept for use in enhancing the recycling of valuable metals from spent LIBs utilizing biomass waste and practices the concept of "treating waste with waste".

Direct synthesis of a lithium carboxymethyl cellulose binder using wood dissolving pulp for high-performance LiFePO4 cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Li) is a promising novel water-based binder for lithium-ion batteries. The direct synthesis of CMC-Li was innovatively developed using abundant wood dissolving pulp materials from hardwood (HW) and softwood (SW). The resulting CMC-Li-HW and CMC-Li-SW binders possessed a suitable degree of substitutions and excellent molecular weight distributions with an appropriate quantity of long- and short-chain celluloses, which facilitated the construction of a reinforced concrete-like bonding system. When used as cathode binders in LiFePO4 batteries, they uniformly coated and dispersed the electrode materials, formed a compact and stable conductive network with high mechanical strength and showed sufficient lithium replenishment. The prepared LiFePO4 batteries exhibited good mechanical stability, low charge transfer impedance, high initial discharge capacity (∼180 mAh/g), high initial Coulombic efficiency (99 %), excellent cycling performance (<3% loss over 200 cycles) and good rate capability, thereby outperforming CMC-Na and the widely used cathode binder polyvinylidene fluoride.

Redox-active NiS@bacterial cellulose nanofiber composite separators with superior rate capability for lithium-ion batteries.

Separator is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which is placed between the electrodes to impede their electrical contact and provide the transport channels for lithium ions. Traditionally, the separator contributes the overall mass of LIBs, thereby reducing the gravimetric capacity of the devices. Herein, a dual-layer redox-active cellulose separator is designed and fabricated to enhance the electrochemical performances of LIBs by introducing NiS. The presented separator is composed of an insulating bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber layer and a conductive, and redox-active NiS@BC/carbon nanotubes layer. By using the NiS@BC separator, the discharge capacity of the LiFePO4//Li half battery is enhanced to 117 mAh g-1 at a current of 2C owing to the redox-activity of NiS. Moreover, the functional separator-electrode interface can facilitate the homogenous Li stripping/plating and depress the polarization upon the repeated stripping/plating process. Consequently, the battery containing the redox-active separator exhibits outstanding cycle stability and rate capability. The present study contributes a novel strategy for the developments of functional separators to improve the electrochemical properties of LIBs.

A fresh perspective on dissociation mechanism of cellulose in DMAc/LiCl system based on Li bond theory.

In this case, various characterization technologies have been employed to probe dissociation mechanism of cellulose in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride (DMAc/LiCl) system. These results indicate that coordination of DMAc ligands to the Li+-Cl- ion pair results in the formation of a series of Lix(DMAc)yClz (x = 1, 2; y = 1, 2, 3, 4; z = 1, 2) complexes. Analysis of interaction between DMAc ligand and Li center indicate that Li bond plays a major role for the formation of these Lix(DMAc)yClz complexes. And the saturation and directionality of Li bond in these Lix(DMAc)yClz complexes are found to be a tetrahedral structure. The hydrogen bonds between two cellulose chains could be broken at the nonreduced end of cellulose molecule via combined effects of basicity of Cl- ion and steric hindrance of [Li (DMAc)4]+ unit. The unique feature of Li bond in Lix(DMAc)yClz complexes is a key factor in determination of the dissociation mechanism.

Lithium and cobalt extraction from LiCoO2 assisted by p(VBPDA-co-FDA) copolymers in supercritical CO2.

Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction assisted by complexing copolymers is a promising process to recover valuable metals from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). CO2, in addition to being non-toxic, abundant and non-flammable, allows an easy separation of metal-complexes from the extraction medium by depressurization, limiting the wastewater production. In this study, CO2-philic gradient copolymers bearing phosphonic diacid complexing groups (poly(vinylbenzylphosphonic diacid-co-1,1,2,2-tetrahydroperfluorodecylacrylate), p(VBPDA-co-FDA)) were synthesized for the extraction of lithium and cobalt from LiCoO2 cathode material. Notably, the copolymer was able to play the triple role of leaching agent, complexing agent and surfactant. The proof of concept for leaching, complexation and extraction was achieved, using two different extraction systems. A first extraction system used aqueous hydrogen peroxide as reducing agent while it was replaced by ethanol in the second extraction system. The scCO2 extraction conditions such as extraction time, temperature, functional copolymer concentration, and the presence of additives were optimized to improve the metals extraction from LiCoO2 cathode material, leading to an extraction efficiency of Li and Co up to ca. 75 % at 60 °C and 250 bar.

Mixed crushing and competitive leaching of all electrode material components and metal collector fluid in the spent lithium battery.

Hydrometallurgy is a primary method for recovering cathode electrode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Most of the current research materials are pure cathode electrode materials obtained through manual disassembly. However, the spent LIBs are typically broken as a whole during the actual industrial recycling which makes the electrode materials combined with the collector fluid. Therefore, the competitive leaching between metal collector fluid and electrode material was examined. The pyrolysis characteristics of the electrode materials were analyzed to determine the pyrolysis temperature. The electrode sheet was pyrolyzed and then crushed for competitive leaching. The effect of pyrolysis was analyzed by XPS. The competitive leaching behavior was studied based on leaching agent concentration, leaching time and leaching temperature. The composition and morphology of the residue were determined to prove the competitive leaching results by XRD-SEM. TG results showed that 500 °C was the suitable pyrolysis temperature. XPS analysis demonstrated that pyrolysis can completely remove PVDF. Li and Co were preferentially leached during the competitive leaching while the leaching rates were 90.10% and 93.40% with 50 min leaching at 70 °C. The Al and Cu had weak competitive leachability and the leaching rate was 29.10% and 0.00%. XRD-SEM analysis showed that Li and Co can be fully leached with residual Al and Cu remaining. The results showed that the mixed leaching of electrode materials is feasible based on its excellent selective leaching properties.

Study on green closed-loop regeneration of waste lithium iron phosphate based on oxalic acid system.

The recovery of valuable metals from used lithium batteries is essential from an environmental and resource management standpoint. However, the most widely used acid leaching method causes significant ecological harm. Here, we proposed a method of recovering Li and Fe selectively from used lithium iron phosphate batteries by using low-concentration organic acid and completing the closed-loop regeneration. Low-concentration oxalic acid is used to carry out PO43-, which is significantly less soluble in aqueous solution than Li, two-stage selective leaching Li, where the leaching rate of Li reaches 99 %, and the leaching rate of Fe is only 2.4 %. The leach solution is then decontaminated. The solubility of Li3PO4 in aqueous solution is much smaller than that of Li2C2O4, which was required to recover Li to change the pH and Li can be recovered as Li3PO4; Fe can be retrieved as FeC2O4·2H2O, and re-prepared into lithium iron phosphate.

An integrated electrode material based on corn straw cellulose biochar with three-dimensional network porous structure for boosting electrochemical performance of lithium batteries.

In this work an integrated electrode material based on the VS4 nanoparticles grow on three-dimensional network porous biochar is put forward, forming a heterostructure that significantly boost the rate and cycle performance in lithium batteries. Biochar derives from two-steps treatment removing partial cellulose and hemicellulose, possessing three-dimensional network porous structure and naturally nitrogenous. The integrated electrode material constructs the continuous electrons transfer network, accommodates the volume expansion and traps the polar polysulfides efficiently. After 100 cycles at 1C, the integrated electrode with biochar shows the highest specific discharge capacity. Even at 2C, the three-dimensional electrode can display a high specific discharge capacity of 798.6 mAh·g-1. Thus, our study has pointed the innovations approach of constructing integrated electrode materials with porous structure biochar to enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium batteries.

Ion-imprinted membranes for lithium recovery: A review.

This review critically examines the effectiveness of ion-imprinted membranes (IIMs) in selectively recovering lithium (Li) from challenging sources such as seawater and brine. These membranes feature customized binding sites that specifically target Li ions, enabling selective separation from other ions, thanks to cavities shaped with crown ether or calixarene for improved selectivity. The review thoroughly investigates the application of IIMs in Li extraction, covering extensive sections on 12-crown-4 ether (a fundamental crown ether for Li), its modifications, calixarenes, and other materials for creating imprinting sites. It evaluates these systems against several criteria, including the source solution's complexity, Li+ concentration, operational pH, selectivity, and membrane's ability for regeneration and repeated use. This evaluation places IIMs as a leading-edge technology for Li extraction, surpassing traditional methods like ion-sieves, particularly in high Mg2+/Li+ ratio brines. It also highlights the developmental challenges of IIMs, focusing on optimizing adsorption, maintaining selectivity across varied ionic solutions, and enhancing permselectivity. The review reveals that while the bulk of research is still exploratory, only a limited portion has progressed to detailed lab verification, indicating that the application of IIMs in Li+ recovery is still at an embryonic stage, with no instances of pilot-scale trials reported. This thorough review elucidates the potential of IIMs in Li recovery, cataloging advancements, pinpointing challenges, and suggesting directions for forthcoming research endeavors. This informative synthesis serves as a valuable resource for both the scientific community and industry professionals navigating this evolving field.

Nitrogen-doped substrate material ion imprinting-capacitive deionization selective recovery of lithium ions from acidic solutions.

With the continuous development of global industry and the increasing demand for lithium resources, recycling valuable lithium from industrial solid waste is necessary for sustainable development and environmental friendliness. Herein, we employed ion imprinting and capacitive deionization to prepare a new electrode material for lithium-ion selective recovery. The material morphology and structure were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and other characterization methods, and the adsorption mechanism and water clusters were correlated using the density functional theory. The electrode material exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 36.94 mg/g at a Li+ concentration of 600 mg/L. The selective separation factors for Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Al3+ in complex solution environments were 2.07, 9.82, 1.80, and 8.45, respectively. After undergoing five regeneration cycles, the material retained 91.81% of the initial Li+ adsorption capacity. Meanwhile, the electrochemical adsorption capacity for Li+ was more than twice the corresponding conventional physical adsorption capacity because electrochemical adsorption provides the energy needed for deprotonation, enabling exposure of the cavities of the crown ether molecules to enrich the active sites. The proposed environment-friendly separation approach offers excellent selectivity for Li+ recovery and addresses the growing demand for Li+ resources.

Synthesis and evaluation of cellulose/polypyrrole composites as polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion battery application.

Natural polymers as battery components have a number of advantages, including availability, biodegradability, unleakage, stable form, superior process, electrochemical stability, and low cost. In other sides, conductive polymers can improve the electrochemical properties of the battery, such as charge/discharge rates, cycling stability, and overall energy storage capacity. Therefore, the combination of these two materials can provide acceptable features. In this study, polymer electrolytes based on cellulose have been synthesized by solution casting method to prepare a thin polymer film. Then, polypyrrole (PPy) was blended with cellulose in different weight ratios. To prevent electrical conductivity of blends, PPy was used <10 wt%. The electrochemical properties of prepared electrolytes have been investigated by different methods. The results showed that ionic conductivity was increased by addition of PPy to cellulose due to the creation of pores and also due to the high dielectric constant of conductive polymers. All synthesized electrolytes had suitable ionic conductivity (in the range of 10-3 S cm-1), significant charge capacity, stable cyclic performance, excellent electrochemical stability (above 4.8 V), and high cation transfer number (between 0.38 and 0.66 for pure cellulose and the sample containing 10 wt% PPy).

Efficient purification and high-quality regeneration of graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries by surfactant-assisted methanesulfonic acid.

With the vigorous development of the new energy industry, the use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is growing exponentially, and the recycling of spent LIBs has gradually become a research hotspot. Currently, recycling both cathode and anode materials of LIBs is important to environmental protection and resource recycling. This research reportsa method ofefficient purification and high-quality regeneration of graphite from spent LIBs by surfactant-assisted methanesulfonic acid (MSA). Under the optimal conditions (0.006 mol/L sodium dodecyl sulfonate, 0.25 mol/L MSA, 10 vol% hydrogen peroxide, liquid-solid ratio of 30:1 mL/g, 60 °C, 1.5 h), the purity of the regenerated graphite was 99.7 %, and the recovery efficiency was 98.0 %. The regenerated graphite showed the characteristics of small interplanar spacing, high degree of graphitization, a small number of surface defects, and excellent pore structure, which was closer to commercial graphite. Furthermore, the regenerated graphite electrode exhibited superior rate performance and cycling stability with a high specific capacity of 397.03 mAh/g after 50 cycles at 0.1C and a charge-discharge efficiency of 99.33 %. The recovery of anode graphite beneficial for resource utilization, environmental protection, and cost control throughout the entire production chain.

Understanding the Electrochemical Extraction of Lithium from Ultradilute Solutions.

The electrochemical extraction of lithium (Li) from aqueous sources using electrochemical means is a promising direct Li extraction technology. However, to this date, most electrochemical Li extraction studies are confined to Li-rich brine, neglecting the practical and existing Li-lean resources, with their overall extraction behaviors currently not fully understood. More still, the effect of elevated sodium (Na) concentrations typically found in most Li-lean water sources on Li extraction is unclear. Hence, in this work, we first understand the electrochemical Li extraction behaviors from ultradilute solutions using spinel lithium manganese oxide as the model electrode. We discovered that Li extraction depends highly on the Li concentration and cell operation current density. Then, we switched our focus on low Li to Na ratio solutions, revealing that Na can dominate the electrostatic screening layer, reducing Li ion concentration. Based on these understandings, we rationally employed pulsed electrochemical operation to restructure the electrode surface and distribute the surface-adsorbed species, which efficiently achieves a high Li selectivity even in extremely low initial Li/Na concentrations of up to 1:20,000.

Lithium-loaded GelMA-Phosphate glass fibre constructs: Implications for astrocyte response.

Combinations of different biomaterials with their own advantages as well as functionalization with other components have long been implemented in tissue engineering to improve the performance of the overall material. Biomaterials, particularly hydrogel platforms, have shown great potential for delivering compounds such as drugs, growth factors, and neurotrophic factors, as well as cells, in neural tissue engineering applications. In central the nervous system, astrocyte reactivity and glial scar formation are significant and complex challenges to tackle for neural and functional recovery. GelMA hydrogel-based tissue constructs have been developed in this study and combined with two different formulations of phosphate glass fibers (PGFs) (with Fe3+ or Ti2+ oxide) to impose physical and mechanical cues for modulating astrocyte cell behavior. This study was also aimed at investigating the effects of lithium-loaded GelMA-PGFs hydrogels in alleviating astrocyte reactivity and glial scar formation offering novel perspectives for neural tissue engineering applications. The rationale behind introducing lithium is driven by its long-proven therapeutic benefits in mental disorders, and neuroprotective and pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. The optimal concentrations of lithium and LPS were determined in vitro on primary rat astrocytes. Furthermore, qPCR was conducted for gene expression analysis of GFAP and IL-6 markers on primary astrocytes cultured 3D into GelMA and GelMA-PGFs hydrogels with and without lithium and in vitro stimulated with LPS for astrocyte reactivity. The results suggest that the combination of bioactive phosphate-based glass fibers and lithium loading into GelMA structures may impact GFAP expression and early IL-6 expression. Furthermore, GelMA-PGFs (Fe) constructs have shown improved performance in modulating glial scarring over GFAP regulation.

A highly efficient process to enhance the bioleaching of spent lithium-ion batteries by bifunctional pyrite combined with elemental sulfur.

Bioleaching technologies have been shown to be an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial tool for extracting metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, conventional bioleaching methods have exhibited low efficiency in recovering metals from spent LIBs. Therefore, relied on the sustainability principle of using waste to treat waste, this study employed pyrite (FeS2) as an energy substance with reducing properties and investigated its effects in combination with elemental sulfur (S0) or FeSO4 on metals bioleaching from spent LIBs. Results demonstrated that the bioleaching efficiency was significantly higher in the leaching system constructed with FeS2 + S0, than in the FeS2 + FeSO4 or FeS2 system. When the pulp densities of FeS2, S0 and spent LIBs were 10 g L-1, 5 g L-1 and 10 g L-1, respectively, the leaching efficiency of Li, Ni, Co and Mn all reached 100%. Mechanistic analysis reveals that in the FeS2 + S0 system, the activity and acid-producing capabilities of iron-sulfur oxidizing bacteria were enhanced, promoting the generation of Fe (Ⅱ) and reducible sulfur compounds. Simultaneously, bio-acids were shown to disrupt the structure of the LIBs, thereby increasing the contact area between Fe (Ⅱ) and sulfur compounds containing high-valence metals. This effectively promoted the reduction of high-valence metals, thereby enhancing their leaching efficiency. Overall, the FeS2 + S0 bioleaching process constructed in this study, improved the leaching efficiency of LIBs while also effectively utilizing waste, providing technical support for the comprehensive and sustainable management of solid waste.

Selective recycling of lithium from spent LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 cathode via constructing a synergistic leaching environment.

The global response to lithium scarcity is overstretched, and it is imperative to explore a green process to sustainably and selectively recover lithium from spent lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathodes. This work investigates the distinct leaching behaviors between lithium and transition metals in pure formic acid and the auxiliary effect of acetic acid as a solvent in the leaching reaction. A formic acid-acetic acid (FA-AA) synergistic system was constructed to selectively recycle 96.81% of lithium from spent LIB cathodes by regulating the conditions of the reaction environment to inhibit the leaching of non-target metals. Meanwhile, the transition metals generate carboxylate precipitates enriched in the leaching residue. The inhibition mechanism of manganese leaching by acetic acid and the leaching behavior of nickel or cobalt being precipitated after release was revealed by characterizations such as XPS, SEM, and FTIR. After the reaction, 90.50% of the acid can be recycled by distillation, and small amounts of the residual Li-containing concentrated solution are converted to battery-grade lithium carbonate by roasting and washing (91.62% recovery rate). This recycling process possesses four significant advantages: i) no additional chemicals are required, ii) the lithium sinking step is eliminated, iii) no waste liquid is discharged, and iv) there is the potential for profitability. Overall, this study provides a novel approach to the waste management technology of lithium batteries and sustainable recycling of lithium resources.

Regulation of high value-added carbon nanomaterials by DC arc plasma using graphite anodes from spent lithium-ion batteries.

With the extensive use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), neglecting to recycle graphite anodes from LIBs leads to environmental pollution and the waste of graphite resources. Thus, developing an efficient and environment-protecting approach to reusing spent graphite anodes is necessary. Here, high value-added graphene sheets (GS), carbon nanohorns (CNHs), fluorine-doped CNHs (F-CNHs), and amorphous carbon nanoballs (ACNs) were prepared from spent graphite anodes of LIBs via DC arc plasma. In order to control the conversion of spent graphite anodes into various carbon nanomaterials, the growth mechanism of carbon nanomaterials is investigated by quenching rate. Benefiting from the extremely high quenching rates (>1.8 × 106 K/s) produced by DC arc plasma, the particle size of the prepared ACNs and CNHs is small and evenly distributed. The CNHs show a "dahlia-like" structure, and the number of graphene layers is only 3-8. Furthermore, the structural transformation mechanism of carbon nanomaterials is researched by deposition temperature. The ACNs, few-layer GS, and CNHs produced by the high quenching rates are unstable and prone to structural transformation. When these carbon nanomaterials are deposited on the cathode surface and cathode holder, the ACNs, "dahlia-like" CNHs, and GS undergo processes of fusing and overlaying at high temperatures, respectively, resulting in the agglomeration and increased particle size of ACNs and "seed-like" CNHs. Meanwhile, the GS is bent and converted into carbon nanocages (CBCs). Overall, the carbon nanomaterials prepared using spent anodes from LIBs by arc plasma are a facile, environment-friendly, and economical strategy to achieve high value-added utilization of the graphite.