Battery Materials Engineering for Closed-Loop Circularity: Proactive Design for Recyclability, Direct Recovery, and Second-Life Electrochemical Performance

The accelerating deployment of electric vehicles, grid storage systems, and portable electronics is generating an unprecedented volume of spent batteries. Meeting the dual challenge of critical mineral supply security and climate targets requires a fundamental shift: recyclability must become a design criterion for battery materials from the outset, not an afterthought at end-of-life. This Research Topic brings together original research and reviews at the intersection of electrochemical materials engineering, direct recovery science, and second-life performance evaluation, with the goal of establishing a materials-science foundation for closed-loop battery circularity.This Research Topic focuses specifically on the electrochemical properties, structural integrity, and performance of battery materials across their full lifecycle — from design to recovery and reuse. It does not address smart digital technologies (IoT, AI, blockchain, or digital twins) as enablers of circularity, nor broad logistics or policy frameworks for battery collection, as those areas are already covered by existing collections in the field.Topics considered in the scope of this Research Topic include:—Proactive design of electrode and electrolyte materials for recyclability — structural, chemical, and processing strategies that facilitate disassembly, selective separation, and material recovery without performance trade-offs during first life.—Direct recycling and electrochemical regeneration of cathode and anode materials — structure-preserving recovery approaches (relithiation, solid-state regeneration, electrochemical reactivation) and their effect on restored electrochemical performance.—Electrochemical characterization of recycled, regenerated, and second-life materials — rigorous assessment of capacity, rate capability, cycle life, impedance, and degradation mechanisms in recovered materials across battery chemistries (Li-ion, Na-ion, solid-state, and beyond)—Critical mineral recovery with electrochemical-grade purity — selective recovery of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other strategic elements, evaluated in terms of re-usability in new electrode formulations—Life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) anchored to materials properties — quantitative sustainability and economic evaluation of closed-loop recovery routes, with emphasis on how material composition and design choices determine circularity outcomesThis Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary contributions integrating electrochemistry, solid-state chemistry, materials characterization, and sustainable engineering. It particularly encourages studies on battery chemistries beyond lithium-ion — including sodium-ion, solid-state, and multivalent systems — where design-for-recyclability frameworks remain largely undeveloped. Topic editors: DR MONOJIT MONDAL, Simon Jung, Felipe M. Galleguillos Madrid Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82057/battery-materials-engineering-for-closed-loop-circularity-proactive-design-for-recyclability-direct-recovery-and-second-life-electrochemical-performance