Cathode materials The cathode material most commonly used in lithium ion batteries is LiCoO 2 . LiCoO 2 forms the α-NaFeO 2 structure, which is a distorted rock-salt structure where the cations order in alternating (1 1 1) planes.
In order to improve the performance, Liu et al. developed heterostructured spinel/Li-rich layered oxide (Li 1.15 Ni 0.20 Mn 0.87 O 2) nanofibers as superior cathode materials for recharhable Li-ion batteries .
One of the challenges for improving the performance of lithium ion batteries to meet increasingly demanding requirements for energy storage is the development of suitable cathode materials. Cathode materials must be able to accept and release lithium ions repeatedly (for recharging) and quickly (for high current).
Cathode active materials (CAM) are typically composed of metal oxides. The most common cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries include lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP), and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LiNiMnCoO2 or NMC).
Li-ion batteries come in various compositions, with lithium-cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium-manganese oxide (LMO), lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP), lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC), and lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminium oxide (NCA) being among the most common. Graphite and its derivatives are currently the predominant materials for the anode.
Cathode materials must be able to accept and release lithium ions repeatedly (for recharging) and quickly (for high current). Transition metal oxides based on the α-NaFeO 2, spinel and olivine structures have shown promise, but improvements are needed to reduce cost and extend effective lifetime.