Upcycled Ni–Co–Mn oxide bifunctional electrocatalyst from spent LIBs for electrochemical water splitting
Date
2026
Authors
Gupta, D.
Wang, J.
Han, H.
Wang, Y.
Kawsihan, A.
Zhang, F.
Liang, G.
Mao, J.
Zou, J.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Journal article
Citation
Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2026; 1-10
Statement of Responsibility
Divyani Gupta, Jingxiu Wang, Huaxuan Han, Yan Wang, Anoja Kawsihan, Fangli Zhang, Gemeng Liang, Jianfeng Mao and Jinshuo Zou
Conference Name
Abstract
Recovering critical metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and upcycling them into high-value electrocatalysts for water splitting is essential for aiding circular battery manufacturing while accelerating green hydrogen (H₂) production. Here, we report a high-performance Ni–Co–Mn oxide (NCMO) electrocatalyst derived from deep eutectic solvent (DES)-recycled waste LIB cathodes for efficient electrochemical water splitting. The calcination process of the DES-based leaching residue was systematically optimized, and an optimal calcination temperature of 800 °C was identified for generating a highly active mixed-metal oxide phase. Comprehensive structural and chemical characterisation confirms the formation of porous nanoscale architectures with abundant oxygen vacancies and synergistic cationic interactions. The optimized NCMO-800 electrocatalyst exhibits promising bifunctional performance, with low overpotential requirements of 320 mV and 193 mV for OER and HER respectively and high durability. In situ synchrotron FTIR microscopy reveals the formation of OOH* during OER and strong hydrogen bonding interactions during the HER, elucidating the origins of bifunctional activity. Notably, the catalyst remains active and stable under saline conditions and requires only 1.79 V to reach 10 mA cm‾² in alkaline full-cell electrolysis. This work demonstrates a sustainable and potentially scalable route to upcycle spent LIB cathodes into efficient and robust bifunctional catalysts for water electrolysis, advancing circular economy driven green H₂ production.
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© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2026.
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http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IC230100042
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE250100603
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IE250100169
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100050
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT230100598
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE230100017
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE250100603
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/IE250100169
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100050
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT230100598
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE230100017