Tackling sample preparation for elemental analysis in the lithium-ion battery industry

Over the last years. there has been a growing awareness to stop global warming and to keep our planet healthy. It is clear that we need changes in our way of life and in our technology. We need ideas to use energy in a better way. A clear step is the move from combustion engines to electric vehicles. Batteries are evolving and Li-ion battery is the chosen technology so far. Consequently, we must understand how to improve batteries performance, and the chemical analysis of their components is a necessary step. Materials for anodes, cathodes and electrolytes should be fully characterized. Microwave-assisted digestion has become an essential ally for sample preparation of battery materials before measurements by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. We are going to demonstrate how the use of microwave-assisted closed vessel digestions makes feasible the metal analysis of several components used in the Li-ion battery industry. Moreover, this approach led to shorter digestion cycles, using lower volumes of reagents and higher temperatures without compromising safety aspects. The implementation of Li-ion battery technology aims to a more sustainable world, so a green approach should be taken to address this new analytical challenge. The developed procedures are fully compatible with green technologies and incorporate green chemistry attributes to improve our environment.