In the past few years, overhead copper transmission lines have been replaced by lightweight aluminum transmission lines to minimize the cost and prevent the sagging of heavier copper transmission lines. High strength aluminum alloys are used as the core of the overhead transmission lines because of the low strength of the conductor line. However, alloying copper with aluminum causes a reduction in electrical conductivity due to the solid solution of each component. Therefore, in this study, the authors attempt to study the effect of various Al/Cu ratios (9:1, 7:3, 5:5) to obtain a high strength Al-Cu alloy without a significant loss in its conductivity through powder metallurgy. Low-temperature extrusion of Al/Cu powder was done at 350ºC to minimize the alloying reactions. The as-extruded microstructure was analyzed and various phases (Cu9Al4, CuAl2) were determined. The tensile strength and electrical conductivity of different mixing ratios of Al and Cu powders were studied. The results suggest that the tensile strength of samples is improved considerably while the conductivity falls slightly but lies within the limits of applications.

As the amount of high-capacity secondary battery waste gradually increased, waste secondary batteries for industry (high-speed train & HEV) were recycled and materialization studies were carried out. The precipitation experiment was carried out with various conditions in the synthesis of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 material using a Taylor reactor. The raw material used in this study was a leaching solution generated from waste nickel-based batteries. The nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursor was prepared by the Taylor reaction process. Material analysis indicated that spherical powder was formed, and the particle size of the precursor was decreased as the reaction speed was increased during the preparation of the NCM. The spherical NCM powder having a particle size of 10 µm was synthesized using reaction conditions, stirring speed of 1000 rpm for 24 hours. The NCM precursor prepared by the Taylor reaction was synthesized as a cathode material for the LIB, and then a coin-cell was manufactured to perform the capacity evaluation.