Beyond Conventional Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Lithium-ion batteries, which have undergone several generations of material and technique improvements, are now extensively used and dominate the rechargeable battery market. The cathode, which largely determines the energy density and dominates the cost of a battery, is becoming a key factor defining next-generation LIBs. Despite significant efforts by researchers and industries worldwide to maximize the battery performance, conventional intercalation-based cathode materials (i.e., LCO, NCM, and LFP) are increasingly unable to keep up with the rapidly growing demands of future energy technologies. The complexity of this challenge is multidimensional and multidisciplinary, encompassing the material’s theoretical limitations, its realistic performance under harsh conditions, and considerations related to mineral availability. However, innovative breakthroughs beyond the conventional battery cathode materials and technologies are on the horizon, with the goal of providing higher energy density, cost-effectiveness, and better safety and cyclability simultaneously. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to showcase manuscripts focusing on the emerging new generation LIB cathode materials and technologies beyond the conventional battery system.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Cathode materials beyond the intercalation mechanism;
• Sustainable cathode materials based on the earth-abundant elements (low Co/Ni);
• Li–Air/O2/S battery;
• High energy density aqueous lithium-ion batteries;
• Long-life, solid-state batteries;
• Battery system degradation and diagnose under harsh work conditions;
• Other metal-ion batteries cathode (i.e., Na, Mg, and Zn);
• Implementation of artificial intelligence in battery techniques.

Dr. Rui Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• next-generation battery
• sustainable cathode materials
• earth-abundant elements
• solid-state battery
• high energy density