Updated May 14, 2026

APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:

  • Fast-charging Li-ion batteries
  • High energy density applications

BENEFITS:

  • High rate capability
  • High energy density
  • More common materials than traditional Li-ion cathodes

BACKGROUND:

  • The expansion of electrification to other industries and larger scales has been limited by the performance and availability of materials for current lithium-ion battery technology. In transportation, for example, higher capacity and faster charging are always desired to extend vehicle range and make longer distance travel possible. In terms of materials, commercially available Li-ion batteries depend on rare and expensive transition metals like nickel and cobalt that make electrification expensive and limit the total battery capacity available. Disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathode materials are new candidates in the field of lithium-ion battery technology, designed to enhance energy storage capacity while eliminating the need for expensive metals such as nickel and cobalt.

TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW:

Berkeley Lab researchers have modified disordered rock salts (DRX) to develop a new cathode material with high energy density, high rate capability, and good cycling stability. The scientists were able to induce a phase change creating medium-range, spinel-like ordering while maintaining long-range disorder to produce a material with the cycling stability of a spinel structure and still avoiding the detrimental two-phase reactions that occur in ordered spinels. Additionally, this cathode material demonstrates high performance with only manganese and titanium, both of which are abundant enough to overcome the scale limitations on other cathode materials. 

In particular, Lab researchers have developed a lithium-manganese DRX material with high energy density and structural stability. They developed a process through which the DRX cathode material can be activated to show excellent performance at large particle scale, which allows good cycling and practical electrode manufacturing. The cathodes have demonstrated high discharge capacities around 200 mAh/g and energy densities up to about 650 Wh/kg, with high stability.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Validated in laboratory environment

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

  • Zijian Cai
  • Han-Ming Hau
  • Juhyeon Ahn
  • Guoying Chen
  • Gerbrand Ceder

STATUS: Patent pending.

OPPORTUNITIES: Available for licensing or collaborative research.