Cathode materials for thermal batteries: Properties, recent advances, and approaches to modification

Thermal battery is a disposable reserve power source, which is of good research value in energy storage and other fields. In order to realize the efficient use of energy, there is an increasing demand to explore new and improved high-performance thermal batteries. The cathode materials, a key component of thermal batteries, have an essential impact on determining the electrochemical performance of these batteries. So far, the investigation based on cathode materials for thermal batteries has made great progress, and a series of new cathode materials have been developed. Herein, the latest research progress of cathode materials, including metal sulfide, metal halide and oxide cathode materials are reviewed. The material properties of various cathode materials and discharge performance are analyzed. Also, the modification methods such as structural nanosizing, surface modification, multifunctional composites, thin-film cathode materials, and hierarchical structural design are discussed and summarized in a multifaceted manner. Finally, the future development direction of cathode materials is envisioned. This review may contribute to an overall understanding of cathode materials and provide direction for in-depth study on high-performance thermal batteries.