SHANGHAI, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have developed a revolutionary "precision therapy" technology that can breathe new life into aging or depleted lithium-ion batteries, offering a sustainable solution to extend their lifespan and reduce environmental pollution.

The research, led by Peng Huisheng and Gao Yue from Fudan University, was published Thursday in Nature.

When lithium-ion batteries lose their capacity due to the depletion of active lithium ions, they are often discarded as irreparable. However, the team has developed a novel approach inspired by medical treatments.

They designed a lithium carrier molecule, which can be injected into degraded batteries to precisely replenish lost lithium ions.

"Just like treating a human illness, we focused on repairing the battery's core issue, while preserving its healthy components," Gao explained.

Designing the lithium carrier molecule was a significant challenge. With no prior templates to follow, the team turned to artificial intelligence. By digitizing molecular properties and leveraging vast datasets spanning organic chemistry, electrochemistry, and materials engineering, they used machine learning to predict viable candidates.

CF3SO2Li emerged as the ideal solution due to its key features like low cost, ease of synthesis, and compatibility with mainstream battery materials.

In rigorous tests, batteries treated with the molecular therapy retained near-factory performance even after 12,000 to 60,000 charge-discharge cycles, a significant improvement over the current industry standard of 500-2,000 cycles.

"The new solution not only delays battery retirement but also slashes resource waste and pollution," Gao said, noting that the team is now optimizing mass production of the lithium carrier molecule and collaborating with battery manufacturers to commercialize the technology. Enditem

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