Self-healing batteries have the potential to extend battery lifespan by preventing degradation, thereby reducing the frequency of battery replacements. However, integrating self-healing capabilities requires additional materials, such as sensors, triggers, and specialised healing compounds, which increase both material and energy demands during production. Balancing these factors is crucial to ensuring that self-healing technology truly contributes to a more sustainable battery ecosystem.

To evaluate this trade-off, the PHOENIX project will assess the environmental impact of self-healing batteries compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries using life cycle assessment (LCA). This analysis will consider the entire battery life cycle, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to usage and eventual waste collection and recycling. By quantifying the potential environmental benefits and drawbacks, the project aims to provide a clear understanding of whether self-healing batteries can offer a net sustainability advantage over traditional technologies.

To ensure a comprehensive assessment, primary data will be gathered from all project partners on the production of self-healing materials, triggers, and sensors, supplemented by secondary data sources (Fig.1). By understanding these impacts, the project aims to determine whether self-healing technology can contribute to a more sustainable and circular battery economy. 

Within the design of the new batteries, it is essential to consider sustainability in the very beginning. With this purpose in mind, all the materials to be employed in the prototype were taken into account to design a dismantling and recycling strategy suitable within the European existing infrastructure and, at the same time, ensure a good separation of the valuable fractions. One of the main challenges is the impact of polymeric materials that could retain the critical raw materials and reduce the overall recycling efficiency. Energy neutral thermal pre-treatments have been used to evaluate and ensure up to 80 % degradation of the material (Fig. 2). 

By combining self-healing functionalities with a focus on sustainability, the PHOENIX project aims to develop batteries that last longer and are easier to recycle. The insights gained from this research will help improve battery design and manufacturing, ensuring better performance while keeping environmental impact in check.