Laser ablation for the recovery of LiFePO4 cathode active material from aluminum current collectors in Li-ion batteries

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries, driven by the automotive and renewable energy storage sectors, calls for the development of strategies to minimize raw material waste during both manufacturing and end-of-life stages. This need is particularly relevant for chemistries such as LFP, which are gaining attention due to their safety, low cost, and growing market share. This work investigates the feasibility of selectively removing LiFePO4 cathode active material from aluminum current collectors using a nanosecond pulsed fiber laser. Ablation parameters were varied to identify a suitable process window enabling uniform coating removal while preserving the substrate integrity. The recovered powder was collected in a controlled atmosphere setup and characterized by SEM and EDS analyses, alongside the processed electrode surfaces. Selective ablation was achieved under conservative parameter sets, producing predominantly spherical particles with approximately 1-10 μm diameter. The results highlight the potential of conventional nanosecond laser systems for direct recycling and remanufacturing strategies.