Positive Electrode Materials for Li-Ion and Li-Batteries

Positive electrodes for Li-ion and lithium batteries (also termed "cathodes") have been under intense scrutiny since the advent of the Li-ion cell in 1991. This is especially true in the past decade. Early on, carbonaceous materials dominated the negative electrode and hence most of the possible improvements in the cell were anticipated at the positive terminal; on the other hand, major developments in negative electrode materials made in the last portion of the decade with the introduction of nanocomposite Sn/C/Co alloys and Si-C composites have demanded higher capacity positive electrodes to match. Much of this was driven by the consumer market for small portable electronic devices. More recently, there has…