Recent advances in cathode prelithiation additives and their use in lithium–ion batteries

The growing interest in electric vehicles and energy storage systems has increased the demand for lithium–ion battery technologies capable of providing high capacity and high energy density. As is known, irreversible loss of lithium in the initial cycle decreases significantly the energy density of lithium–ion batteries. Anode prelithiation is a common method to overcome the problem, although it brings the problems of high chemical reactivity and instability under battery processing and ambient conditions. In comparison to anode prelithiation with high difficulty, cathode prelithiation is much simpler. To compensate the initial lithium loss, many studies have aimed at finding suitable cathode additives, to improves the electrochemical performance of existing lithium–ion batteries. This article introduces the mechanism and development for prelithiation of lithium–ion battery, as well as requirements of cathode prelithiation additives, and summarizes the latest progress of research on cathode prelithiation additives. The challenges in the effective cathode prelithiation additives and the development direction of prelithiation technology are also provided.