New design playbook could unlock next generation high energy lithium ion batteries

A new scientific review outlines how a little understood class of battery materials could help deliver safer, higher energy lithium ion batteries while reducing reliance on critical metals such as cobalt and nickel.

Researchers have synthesized and analyzed recent global advances in cation disordered rocksalt cathode materials, a promising alternative to today’s dominant lithium ion battery cathodes used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid storage. The study provides a clear framework for overcoming long standing performance challenges that have so far limited commercial adoption.

Cation disordered rocksalt cathodes, known as DRX materials, differ fundamentally from conventional layered battery materials. Instead of relying on highly ordered atomic layers, DRX materials use a more flexible crystal structure where lithium and metal ions are mixed randomly. This disorder enables unusually high energy storage capacity and fast lithium ion transport, but it has also introduced new stability problems.

“DRX cathodes offer an exciting pathway toward batteries with much higher energy density and lower dependence on scarce elements like cobalt,” said lead author Tongen Lin. “The challenge has been translating their impressive theoretical advantages into materials that are stable, durable, and practical for real world use.”

The review, published in Energy and Environment Nexus, connects key electrochemical problems directly to the atomic scale structure of DRX materials. The authors explain how excess lithium enables fast three dimensional lithium transport, but also activates oxygen redox reactions that can lead to oxygen loss, voltage instability, and rapid capacity fade during cycling.

Short range ordering within the otherwise disordered crystal lattice is identified as another critical issue. Even subtle local atomic correlations can fragment lithium diffusion pathways, slowing ion movement and degrading performance over time.

“Our goal was to move beyond isolated observations and provide a unified design logic,” said co corresponding author Yuan Wang. “By linking structure, composition, and degradation mechanisms, we can offer practical guidance for building better DRX cathodes.”

Based on this analysis, the authors present five proven strategies to improve DRX performance. These include carefully balancing lithium content to enable ion transport without triggering excessive oxygen loss, introducing moderate fluorine substitution to stabilize the lattice, engineering protective interfaces to suppress surface degradation, using high entropy cation mixing to eliminate harmful short range ordering, and deliberately introducing controlled partial ordering to create low barrier diffusion channels.

The study emphasizes that no single strategy is sufficient on its own. Instead, successful DRX design requires a coordinated approach that considers composition, local structure, and interfacial chemistry together.

“This work provides a roadmap for rational design rather than trial and error,” said co corresponding author Lianzhou Wang. “It helps identify what combinations of chemistry and structure are most likely to deliver long lasting, high energy batteries.”

By reducing dependence on expensive and geopolitically sensitive metals while pushing energy density beyond current limits, DRX cathodes could play an important role in future electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.

The authors note that while challenges remain, recent progress suggests that commercial viable DRX batteries are increasingly within reach.

“These materials are no longer just a laboratory curiosity,” said co corresponding author Matthew Dargusch. “With the right design principles, they have real potential to reshape next generation energy storage technologies.”

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Journal reference: Lin T, Yuan F, Wang Y, Dargusch M, Wang L. 2025. Cation disordered rocksalt cathode materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. Energy & Environment Nexus 1: e012  

  https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/een-0025-0011   

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About Energy & Environment Nexus:
Energy & Environment Nexus (e-ISSN 3070-0582) is an open-access journal publishing high-quality research on the interplay between energy systems and environmental sustainability, including renewable energy, carbon mitigation, and green technologies.

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