Recovery of Graphite from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries for Use in Conductive Ink Preparation

NGUYỄN BÌNH; Nguyen Thi Mo; Pham Quang Trung

doi:10.62239/jca.2026.006

Authors

Nguyen Thanh Binh Faculty of Chemistry, College of Chemical Defense Officer, Chemical Corps
Nguyen Thi Mo Faculty of Chemistry, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Pham Quang Trung Faculty of Chemistry, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62239/jca.2026.006

Keywords:

Recycled graphite, Lithium-ion battery, Conductive ink, PVP, Thermal treatment, Electrical conductivity, Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Abstract

This study presents a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for recovering graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and reusing it as a precursor for the preparation of flexible conductive inks. Graphite was recovered from the anode through a mechanical separation process, followed by chemical purification using 1 M HCl to remove residual metal ions (Li, Co, Ni), and subsequent thermal treatment at 1000 °C in an inert atmosphere to eliminate organic binders (PVDF) and partially restore the defective crystalline structure caused by charge/discharge cycling. The purified graphite exhibited a high carbon purity (> 93.4 %) and was used to formulate conductive inks with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as the polymer binder and carbon black (CB) as a conductivity enhancer. The optimal ink composition was determined using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimized ink showed good electrical conductivity (surface resistance ≈ 415 Ω/cm) and excellent mechanical flexibility, maintaining stable conductivity under a bending radius of 0.5 cm. These results provide a sustainable solution for waste battery management and contribute to the advancement of low-cost printed electronics technology.

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