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Environment

Chemical injection brings dying batteries back to life

Researchers restored degraded lithium-ion batteries to nearly full capacity by injecting them with a chemical that creates more charged particles inside them

By Jeremy Hsu

8 March 2024

New research aims to revive old batteries instead of discarding or recycling them

Alyssa Pointer

A chemical injection can restore spent lithium-ion batteries to working order again. The one-step process could reduce waste and boost the supply of batteries needed for fleets of electric vehicles.

As batteries age, they lose some of the charged particles that let them store energy, which reduces their power-holding capacity. Injecting certain chemicals can reverse this type of degradation – although it does not fix structurally damaged batteries – according to researchers affiliated with the automotive giant Toyota…

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