Amorphous cathode materials for Li-ion batteries have regained interest thanks to their practical capacities, which can exceed those of conventional commercial oxide cathode materials. Despite somewhat lower cell voltages, it could lead to significant enhancements in energy density. Nevertheless, the known amorphous cathode materials still face serious challenges prevent them from practical application: i) High irreversible capacity, ii) Low electronic conductivity, iii) Limited cyclability, iv) Lack of understanding of the involved phenomena due to their amorphous state, v) Most of the glassy cathode compositions explored so far are based on toxic vanadium.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of the influence of transition metals, glass formers, and synthesis conditions on the electrochemical performance of the cathode material, a PhD thesis is proposed in collaboration with CEA (Marcoule and Grenoble) and the National University of Singapore. The study will aim to combine various simulation approaches and experimental techniques, such as machine learning to design even more efficient cathode materials, computational modeling coupled with advanced in situ/operando characterization methods, and finally the development and performance evaluation of the synthesized materials.