Co-upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries and plastics to microwave absorbing materials: Ni-Co catalyst size confinement and poison mitigation

Co-upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries and plastics to microwave absorbing materials: Ni-Co catalyst size confinement and poison mitigation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Co-upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries and plastics to microwave absorbing materials: Ni-Co catalyst size confinement and poison mitigation Huayi Yin, Baolong Qiu, Yuanzhao Hou, Pin Du, Nuo Xu, Hongwei Xie, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7061097/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Co-upcycling plastics with lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers a promising high-value approach; however, it is hindered by the challenge of poisoning metal catalysts by carbon deposition and the uncontrollable particle growth. Here, we propose a co-upcycling strategy to convert spent LiNi x Co y Mn 1−x−y O 2 (NCM) and binary plastics—polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other plastics—into NiCoMnO x /CNTs composites (or materials) for microwave absorbing. During the pyrolysis, the generated pyrolysis gas reduces the NCM to NiCoMnO x and Li 2 CO 3 , and the NiCoMnO x catalyzes the decomposition of pyrolysis gas to generate CNTs. Importantly, Li 2 CO 3 suppresses the growth of NiCo particles to below 100 nm and PET as both an etching agent and a carbon source, achieving a carbon conversion rate of 33% while preventing NiCoMnO x poisoning. After heat treatment at 800°C, the resulting material exhibits favorable microwave absorption with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL < − 10 dB) of 7.01 GHz at 2.41 mm. Life cycle analysis (LCA) shows that this strategy has obvious environmental benefits. Overall, PET is a general enabler to prepare (Ni x Co y )MnO/CNTs microwave-absorbing materials harnessing carbon from binary plastics and critical metals from battery materials, providing a sustainable solution for upcycling spent LIBs and plastic wastes. Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Magnetic properties and materials Physical sciences/Chemistry/Green chemistry/Sustainability spent lithium-ion batteries plastic wastes Li recovery carbon nanotubes electromagnetic wave absorption Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementaryinformantion.pdf Co-upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries and plastics to microwave absorbing materials: Ni-Co catalyst size confinement and poison mitigation Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7061097","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":490313565,"identity":"9a71258a-9088-4943-be2c-b4348574b2f8","order_by":0,"name":"Huayi Yin","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZgY2EMXDz8AD4RKvRbKBaC0MEC0MBgeI1WJwnPfYY56awzLGN3KPSTBUWCc2sJ89gF/LYb50Y55jh3nMbuSlSTCcSU9s4MlLIKCFx0yahw1I3s4xk2BsO5zYIMFjQISWf4d5jGeDtPwjVgtv22EeA2mQlgYitEgCtUjO7Uvnkbj/xtgi4Vi6cRtPDn4tfOfPmEm8+WZtz99zxvDGhxpr2X72M/i1KBwAU80QXgIDLJrwAPkGMFVHSN0oGAWjYBSMZAAAUfY9Dy9ZkisAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1765-496X","institution":"Wuhan University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huayi","middleName":"","lastName":"Yin","suffix":""},{"id":490313566,"identity":"10b3d4f0-5afa-42a5-bc13-d9f0834fef24","order_by":1,"name":"Baolong Qiu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Baolong","middleName":"","lastName":"Qiu","suffix":""},{"id":490313567,"identity":"ec6f568c-1453-425c-836a-5d46cf2c3dac","order_by":2,"name":"Yuanzhao Hou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University,Shenyang,China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuanzhao","middleName":"","lastName":"Hou","suffix":""},{"id":490313568,"identity":"d944dfae-725e-4a44-8c51-402622446571","order_by":3,"name":"Pin Du","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pin","middleName":"","lastName":"Du","suffix":""},{"id":490313569,"identity":"ae5f52a1-4c03-4b31-af85-8b7789cc43f8","order_by":4,"name":"Nuo Xu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nuo","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":490313570,"identity":"e440d0a0-e9b7-45e8-bc42-c668c8945f09","order_by":5,"name":"Hongwei Xie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hongwei","middleName":"","lastName":"Xie","suffix":""},{"id":490313571,"identity":"94ba8a15-20fa-4312-8740-cf89d1f1433f","order_by":6,"name":"Kuiren Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kuiren","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":490313572,"identity":"82abd009-0a23-40c3-b3ae-7f75f48874e5","order_by":7,"name":"Jianshe Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University,Shenyang,China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jianshe","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":490313573,"identity":"672565a8-3502-411c-883f-c2c6a7f6f174","order_by":8,"name":"Binchuan Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Binchuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":490313574,"identity":"80c39b66-6851-4bae-a2ca-c06bfb793ebb","order_by":9,"name":"Daxue Fu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Northeastern University, Shenyang , P. 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Here, we propose a co-upcycling strategy to convert spent LiNi\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003eCo\u003csub\u003ey\u003c/sub\u003eMn\u003csub\u003e1\u0026minus;x\u0026minus;y\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (NCM) and binary plastics\u0026mdash;polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other plastics\u0026mdash;into NiCoMnO\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003e/CNTs composites (or materials) for microwave absorbing. During the pyrolysis, the generated pyrolysis gas reduces the NCM to NiCoMnO\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003e and Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eCO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, and the NiCoMnO\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003e catalyzes the decomposition of pyrolysis gas to generate CNTs. Importantly, Li\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eCO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e suppresses the growth of NiCo particles to below 100 nm and PET as both an etching agent and a carbon source, achieving a carbon conversion rate of 33% while preventing NiCoMnO\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003e poisoning. After heat treatment at 800\u0026deg;C, the resulting material exhibits favorable microwave absorption with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;10 dB) of 7.01 GHz at 2.41 mm. Life cycle analysis (LCA) shows that this strategy has obvious environmental benefits. Overall, PET is a general enabler to prepare (Ni\u003csub\u003ex\u003c/sub\u003eCo\u003csub\u003ey\u003c/sub\u003e)MnO/CNTs microwave-absorbing materials harnessing carbon from binary plastics and critical metals from battery materials, providing a sustainable solution for upcycling spent LIBs and plastic wastes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Co-upcycling spent lithium-ion batteries and plastics to microwave absorbing materials: Ni-Co catalyst size confinement and poison mitigation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-25 02:20:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7061097/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"29468deb-e018-4911-8ffd-71ccf1126e43","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 25th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":52061775,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes"},{"id":52061776,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Magnetic properties and materials"},{"id":52061777,"name":"Physical sciences/Chemistry/Green chemistry/Sustainability"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-27T07:12:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7061097","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69501-1","journal":{"identity":"nature-communications","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Nature Communications"},"publishedOn":"2026-02-16 05:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 16th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-25 02:20:39","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41467-026-69501-1","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69501-1","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7061097","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7061097","identity":"rs-7061097","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}