Cathode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries: A Brief Review

Abstract

Layered lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ) as a pioneer commercial cathode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is unsuitable for the next generation of LIBs, which require high energy density, good rate performance, improved safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. LiCoO 2 suffers from structural instability at a high level of delithiation and performance degradation when overcharged. Besides, cobalt, a significant constituent of LiCoO 2 is more costly and less environmentally friendly than other transition metals. Therefore, alternative cathode materials are being explored to replace LiCoO 2 as cathode materials for high-performance LIBs. These new cathode materials, including lithiated transition metal oxides, vanadium pentoxides, and polyanion-type materials, are reviewed in this study. The various challenges hampering the full integration of these cathode materials in commercial LIBs and viable solutions are emphasised.