Recycling/Reuse of Current Collectors from Spent Lithium‐Ion Batteries: Benefits and Issues

Abstract Al and Cu foils are the irreplaceable current collectors for Li‐ion batteries (LIBs), and have a great impact on the performance. The sustainability and cost of the current collectors are important factors to improve the circular economy of the battery technologies, and it can be achieved by the effective recycling of spent LIBs. Spent LIBs are a valuable resource with potential environmental hazards owing to the presence of a lot of metals and materials, urging the researchers to recycle/reuse via effective technologies. Of critical importance in this field, is current industry/research efforts toward improving cathode materials; however, the crucial problem is the efficient separation of current collectors from the electrode materials. In this line, this perspective offers the different strategies involved in the separation of current collectors from the electrode materials of spent LIBs and suggests future directions for researchers to develop efficient recycling methodologies.