Current technology requires that the energy and power capabilities of Li-ion batteries be ‘beefed up’ beyond the existing state of the art. Increasing the battery voltage is one of the ways to improve battery energy density; in Li-ion cells, the objective of current research is to develop a 5-volt cell, and at the same time to maintain high specific charge capacity, excellent cycling, and safety.
Since modern anode materials possess working potentials fairly close to the potential of a lithium metal, the focus is on the development of cathode materials. Our work reviews and analyzes the current state of the art, achievements, and challenges in the field of high-voltage cathode materials for Li-ion cells. Some suggestions regarding possible approaches for future development in the field are also presented.
Alexander Kraytsberg and Yair Ein-Eli,
Higher, Stronger, Better… A Review of 5 Volt Cathode Materials for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries,
Adv. Energy Mater. 2 (2012) 922-939