Revolutionizing Cathode Materials Processing: The Potential of Sustainable All Dry Methods

In recent decades, cathode materials, significant in both liquid and solid-state lithium-ion and beyond-lithium batteries, are essential for global sustainability due to their unique redox and ionic transport properties. The mass production of cathodes to keep pace with electrochemical energy storage demand has increasingly come under scrutiny. However, the environmental impacts, specifically emissions and waste produced during the synthesis and surface treatment of these materials, have largely been overlooked, even in laboratory settings. This Perspective addresses this gap by discussing the importance of adopting entirely dry, waste-free processes for cathode material production. We summarize recent advances in both physical and chemical dry processing techniques and outline potential future research directions in this domain, emphasizing their significance for sustainable battery manufacturing.