  This article reviews the development of cathode materials for secondary
lithium ion batteries since its inception with the introduction of lithium
cobalt oxide in early 1980s. The time has passed and numerous cathode materials
are designed and developed to realize not only the enhanced capacity but also
the power density simultaneously. However, there are numerous challenges such
as the cyclic stability of cathode materials, their structural and thermal
stability, higher operating voltage together with high ionic and electronic
conductivity for efficient ion and charge transport during charging and
discharging. This article will cover the development of materials in
chronological order classifying as the lithium ion cathode materials in
different generations. The ternary oxides such as LiTMOx (TM=Transition Metal)
are considered as the first generation materials, whereas modified ternary and
quaternary oxide systems are considered as the second generation materials. The
current i.e. third generation includes complex oxide systems with higher
lithium content such as Li2TMSiO4 aiming for higher energy density. Further,
developments are heading towards lithium metal based batteries with a
possibility for very high energy densities.
