Mechanochemistry synthesis of high purity lithium carbonate

Synergistic effects of structural, crystalline, and chemical defects on the photocatalytic performance of Y-doped ZnO for carbaryl degradation

In this study, a photocatalytic material consisting of ZnO and yttrium-doped ZnO (YZO) nanoparticles was obtained via a facile precipitation conducted under ambient pressure whereby crystalline ZnO was successfully doped with yttrium. YZO had a hexagonal wurtzite polycrystalline structure with smaller crystal and grain sizes than ZnO, which in turn meant larger specific surface area and pore volume. Chemical defects were also produced, which facilitated photocatalytic activity, because such defects can act as reaction centers. The optical band gap magnitude and the diamagnetic nature of YZO were also determined. The structural, crystalline, and chemical defects of YZO synergistically enhanced the photocatalytic degradation of carbaryl; indeed, the kinetic rate constant of this reaction catalyzed by YZO was 11.17 × 10^-2 min^-1 under natural sunlight irradiation, higher than the value measured for ZnO (8.68 × 10^-2 min^-1). Evidence thus indicates that yttrium-doping effectively modified some properties of ZnO nanoparticles so that YZO nanoparticles proved a suitable photocatalytic material for carbaryl degradation.

Towards Recycling of LLZO Solid Electrolyte Exemplarily Performed on LFP/LLZO/LTO Cells

All-solid-state lithium ion batteries (ASS-LIBs) are promising due to their safety and higher energy density as compared to that of conventional LIBs. Over the next few decades, tremendous amounts of spent ASS-LIBs will reach the end of their cycle life and would require recycling in order to address the waste management issue along with reduced exploitation of rare elements. So far, only very limited studies have been conducted on recycling of ASS-LIBS. Herein, we investigate the recycling of the Li₇ La₃ Zr₂ O₁₂ (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte in a LiFePO₄ /LLZO/Li₄ Ti₅ O₁₂ system using a hydrometallurgical approach. Our results show that different concentration of the leaching solutions can significantly influence the final product of the recycling process. However, it was possible to recover relatively pure La₂ O₃ and ZrO₂ to re-synthesize the cubic LLZO phase, whose high purity was confirmed by XRD measurements.