Advances in layered transition metal oxide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries

The rapid rise of renewable energy technology has greatly promoted the development of energy storage systems. Breaking decades of stagnation, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have now regained momentum in the field of energy storage and they are considered as a low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The search for suitable materials to reversibly host sodium ions has become a focal point in SIB field. Layered transition metal oxide (NaxTMO2) as the cathode material has attracted increasing attention due to its simple structure, facile synthesis, and high operating potential. Nevertheless, NaxTMO2 still faces severe challenges, including irreversible phase transitions, storage instability, insufficient performance, etc. This work provides a comprehensive review of NaxTMO2 as the cathode material for SIBs, analyzes the challenges encountered by NaxTMO2, and summarizes effective improvement strategies. Strategies including doping, composite cathode materials, high-entropy materials and microstructural modulation can effectively guide the design of NaxTMO2 with excellent performance. SIBs are bound to play a positive role in the new round of energy revolution.