Platinized Titanium Anode

In the hydrometallurgical processes for nickel and cobalt used in the new energy industry, this anode is specifically used in core production stages such as the electrowinning of mixed nickel-cobalt leachate, the refining of high-purity nickel in a single-system process, and the final electrolytic shaping of high-purity cobalt. In the hydrometallurgical production process for ternary precursor materials, ore is crushed, leached, and subjected to extraction and separation to yield a nickel-cobalt-manganese mixed clear solution. Platinum-coated titanium anodes are introduced into the deep electrowinning stage of the mixed-metal clear solution. Arranged in groups within industrial electrolytic cells, they continuously participate in the continuous electrolysis operations of both acidic sulfate and mixed chloride systems, working in conjunction with the cathodes to facilitate the stepwise deposition and batch formation of nickel and cobalt metals.

After discharging, disassembling, crushing, and screening, waste lithium-ion batteries produce a black powder material (Black Mass) rich in metallic elements. Black Mass primarily consists of nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) ternary cathode material; lithium cobalt oxide (LCO); lithium iron phosphate (LFP); graphite anode material; residual copper and aluminum current collectors; and decomposition products of the electrolyte. To extract the valuable metals contained within, the acid leaching process is commonly used in industry to convert solid metal oxides into soluble metal salts. During acid leaching, oxidizing or reducing agents are typically added to improve leaching efficiency. Examples include hydrogen peroxide, sulfites, persulfates, and chlorates. However, traditional chemical oxidizing agents present issues such as high costs, significant transportation risks, residual pollution, and difficulty in precise control.

The core of wet-process recycling of lithium batteries is not simply dissolving the metal, but achieving selective separation by controlling the chemical states of different metal ions. Therefore, controlling the redox potential is key to the entire process. In the nickel-cobalt-manganese system, different elements exhibit distinct redox behaviors, such as nickel: Ni²⁺ ↔ Ni³⁺; cobalt: Co²⁺ ↔ Co³⁺; manganese: Mn²⁺ ↔ Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺; and iron: Fe²⁺ ↔ Fe³⁺. If the redox environment is not precisely controlled, it can lead to premature metal precipitation; a decrease in extraction selectivity; reduced product purity; and increased chemical consumption. Titanium anodes produced by NAVI Titanium, due to their low polarization resistance, can stably facilitate the electron transfer process, resulting in a more precise reaction potential.

The copper in spent lithium-ion batteries primarily comes from the copper foil in the anode current collector. Because copper has high economic value, copper recovery typically involves an acid leaching–purification–electrodeposition process. The typical process is as follows: copper foil → acid leaching → Cu²⁺ solution → electrolytic deposition → high-purity copper. During the electrolysis process, the cathode reaction is Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu, and the anode reaction is 2H₂O → O₂ + 4H⁺ + 4e⁻. In this system, the anode does not participate in copper deposition but is responsible for maintaining the charge balance in the electrolyte circuit. 

Among power batteries for new energy vehicles, high-nickel ternary materials (NCM) have emerged as a key direction for future power batteries due to their high energy density. The production of NCM materials typically involves the preparation of nickel salts; the preparation of cobalt salts; the preparation of manganese salts; coprecipitation to form precursors; and lithiumation and sintering. Among these steps, the precursor preparation stage imposes extremely stringent requirements on metal ion ratios, impurity control, and the oxidation environment. A typical reaction is Ni²⁺ + Co²⁺ + Mn²⁺ + OH⁻ → NiCoMn(OH)₂↓. To obtain uniform, high-performance precursors, strict control is required over pH, redox potential, metal ion valence states, and solution purity.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) has seen rapid growth in the energy storage battery sector due to its low cost and high safety. Although LFP materials do not contain high-value elements such as nickel and cobalt, their recycling value is attracting increasing attention as the volume of end-of-life energy storage batteries grows. LFP wet recycling typically involves acid leaching; separation of lithium and iron; phosphorus recovery; and lithium salt preparation. During the acid leaching process, LiFePO₄ + H⁺ → Li⁺ + Fe²⁺ + PO₄³⁻, where iron typically exists in the form of Fe²⁺ and requires further oxidation treatment. Pt/Ti anodes can be used for Fe²⁺ oxidation, iron-phosphorus separation, and waste liquid purification.