From November 15 to 17, 2024, the 19th "Challenge Cup" National College Student Extracurricular Academic and Technological Works Competition's 2024 "Revealing List and Taking Command" Special Event, organized by Central Committee of China's Communist Youth League, China Association for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and All-China Students’ Federation, was held in Zhejiang. Under the guidance of Prof. Yonggang Yao, Long Jia, and Ping Wei from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, ICARE student Jiale Zhao and her team completed the work titled "Research on Efficient Stripping Technology and Direct Repair New Methods for Electrode Materials of Waste Lithium-ion Power Batteries," which won the National Grand Prize.

 Based on the recycling of spent lithium-ion power batteries, the team developed efficient stripping technologies and direct repair methods to achieve the recycling and reuse of cathode materials and graphite materials from spent batteries. They also evaluated the electrochemical performance of the repaired materials and promoted the industrial application of core technologies. Their work aimed to promote the sustainable development of lithium-ion power batteries. This project ultimately won the National Grand Prize.