Core-shell structured electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

Recent progress in studies of several types of core-shell structured electrode materials, including TiO ₂/C, Si/C, Si/SiO _x, LiCoO ₂/C, and LiFePO ₄/C nanocomposites, including details of their preparation and their electrochemical performance is briefly reviewed. Results clearly show that the coating shell can effectively prevent the aggregation of the nanosized cores, which are the electrochemically active materials. In addition, the diffusion coefficients of lithium ions can be increased, and the reversibility of lithium intercalation and deintercalation is improved. As a result, the cycling behavior is greatly improved. The reviewed results suggest that core-shell nanocomposites are a good starting point for further development of new promising electrode materials.