# Toward Practical Li‐Ion Cells With Li/Mn‐Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes: A Techno‐Economic Perspective on Material and Cell Design

## TL;DR

This paper explores how to design better lithium-ion batteries using Li/Mn-rich cathodes, balancing performance and cost through material and cell design.

## Contribution

A systematic, techno-economic framework for developing Li/Mn-rich oxide cathodes is proposed, integrating material design and performance analysis.

## Key findings

- LMR cathodes can achieve high specific discharge capacity (>250 mAh g−1) at moderate voltages.
- Bulk degradation and surface reactivity are major challenges requiring compositional and structural modifications.
- Techno-economic analysis suggests optimizing LMR composition through Li, Ni, Mn, and Co ratios.

## Abstract

Li/Mn‐rich layered oxide (LMR) cathode active materials offer a pathway towards high specific energy and low‐cost Li ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high practical specific discharge capacity (>250 mAh g−1) at moderate discharge voltages (≈3.5 V). However, oxygen redox requires electrochemical activation at high cathode potentials (> 4.5 V vs Li|Li+), resulting in bulk degradation and surface reactivity. This perspective first summarizes the literature‐known efforts to elucidate the oxygen redox mechanism and then proposes strategies for systematic R&D of LMR, supported with techno‐economic analysis. Initially, bulk degradation should be addressed via compositional tuning and crystal modification. Subsequently, the microstructure, interphase, and electrolyte should be engineered, and finally, the charging protocol should be optimized. The various LMR chemistries with different Li to TM, Ni to Mn, and Co to Ni ratios are techno‐economically analyzed, and perspectives on the ideal LMR composition are presented. Ultimately, the specific energy, energy density, and costs of LMR || graphite cells are compared to state‐of‐the‐art cell chemistries.

Li/Mn‐rich layered oxide cathodes should be designed systematically according to their phase diagram. Starting from a common composition (point 1), the Li‐richness can be reduced (point 2), the Co content can be lowered (point 3), and finally, the Ni to Co ratio can be adjusted. For a more comprehensive evaluation, comparing LMR at an equal delithiation degree is recommended.