Spinel Electrodes for Lithium Batteries

This article gives a historical account of the development of spinel electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries. Research in the late 1970s and early 1980s on high‐temperature Li/Fe 3 O 4 cells led to the evaluation of lithium spinels Li[B 2 ]X 4 at room temperature (B = metal cation). This work highlighted the importance of the [B 2 ]X 4 spinel framework as a host electrode structure and the ability to tailor the cell voltage by selection of various B cations. Examples of lithium‐ion cells that operate with spinel anode/spinel cathode couples are provided. Particular attention is given to spinels within the solid‐solution system Li 1+ x Mn 2‐ x O 4 (0 lessthan equal to x lessthan equal to 0.33).