We would all love less expensive batteries that are safe, reliable, and possibly even better performing than what we have now. What if recycling our throw-aways gave us “new” batteries with refined materials that improve their performance? A current paper from the Royal Society for Chemistry may hold a key to producing such cheaper, better batteries. The complete entry expands on the idea of reclaiming materials in used batteries in an efficient, cost-effective way. The findings come to light with good timing, considering recent concerns over lithium mining and availability. Conflicted over Conflicts Battery materials are selected for factors such as their inherent ability to shuttle ions between a cathode and anode, the positive and negative poles of a battery. Electrodes may contain lithium, cobalt, and nickel, among other elements. Cobalt, for instance, is a so-called “conflict mineral,” sourced from places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo using child labor. Such minerals are often mined using “artisanal and small-scale …