The paper, published in the journal Nature, explained that a lithium-ion battery consists of a cathode, anode, and active lithium ions in between. The study noted that a typical battery is retired when it loses too many ions.
“Our approach is to retain the cathode and anode, which are still functional while addressing the problematic part. We aimed to develop a transformative functional material that provides precise lithium-ion replenishment to significantly extend a battery’s life span,” noted Gao.