Picosecond laser texturing of Al current collector to improve cycling performances and simplify recycling of Lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one of the main energy storage technologies currently in use and recycling them offers significant economic, environmental, and material recovery benefits. Despite various recycling processes, separating the metallic current collector from the electrode composite film remains a crucial challenge. In this framework, the present study focuses on laser texturing of aluminum current collectors (CCs) to introduce a microscale surface architecture. The asymmetric surface pattern facilitated a controlled and directional adhesion, enhancing attachment to manage the significant volume variation of the active material (NMC811) during charging and discharging cycles. Additionally, it enabled an easy separation of the electrode composite layer from the current collector, during recycling, by applying a force in a specific direction. As a result, the laser-treated cathodes displayed low electrode polarization and increased cycling performances, with a capacity retention of 67.6% after 300 cycles at 1C, thanks to the increased interfacial adhesion that reduced the active material delamination from the current collector upon cycling.