Metal Oxides for Rechargeable Batteries Energy Applications

Nearly three decades of significant academic and commercialization progress, appreciations have to be credited for Li+ ion-based rechargeable secondary batteries, which conquered the entire world. The Li+ ion batteries dictate the consumer battery market and are considered crucial for the practical realization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs). Recently, post-lithium–ion batteries, particularly Na, K, Mg, and Zn, and Al–ion batteries have also been intensively explored for various energy storage tenders due to their natural abundance, low cost, and environmental safety of these materials. The utilization of metal oxides in battery application is tremendous and, an example, the first commercial lithium ion batteries by Sony Co. with LiCoO2 as a cathode. Recently, Ni-rich layered oxide-based lithium ion batteries are on an edge of commercialization. The focus on battery research had increased drastically from 2010, and still metal oxide-based cathodes/anodes are researched exclusively due to their significant physicochemical properties. This chapter emphasizes electrochemical properties of various metal oxide-based electrode materials for various secondary rechargeable energy storage applications including sodium ion batteries (SIBs), potassium ion batteries (PIBs), and zinc ion batteries (ZIBs).