{
  "node": {
    "id": "term:cathode-active-material",
    "type": "Term",
    "label": "Cathode active material",
    "properties": {
      "id": "cathode-active-material",
      "name": "Cathode active material",
      "abbr": "CAM",
      "section": "topic-components",
      "definition": "The lithium-containing compound in the positive electrode — NMC, NCA, LFP or LCO powder — that supplies the cell’s cyclable lithium. It is the most expensive material in most cells and sets the nominal voltage and much of the energy density.",
      "related": [
        "active-material",
        "nmc",
        "lfp",
        "precursor",
        "specific-capacity"
      ],
      "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/cathode-active-material/",
      "mentions": [
        "electrode",
        "positive-electrode",
        "nominal-voltage",
        "energy-density"
      ]
    }
  },
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      "id": "edge:365",
      "source": "term:cathode-active-material",
      "target": "term:active-material",
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      "id": "edge:366",
      "source": "term:cathode-active-material",
      "target": "term:nmc",
      "type": "relatedTo",
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        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
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      "id": "edge:367",
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        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
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      "id": "edge:369",
      "source": "term:cathode-active-material",
      "target": "term:specific-capacity",
      "type": "relatedTo",
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        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:mentions/cathode-active-material/electrode",
      "source": "term:cathode-active-material",
      "target": "term:electrode",
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        "field": "definition",
        "meaning": "Text mention; not a causal claim"
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      "id": "edge:374",
      "source": "term:cathode-active-material",
      "target": "reference:manthiram-cathodes",
      "type": "cites",
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      }
    }
  ],
  "neighbors": [
    {
      "id": "topic:topic-components",
      "type": "Topic",
      "label": "Cell components and electrode materials",
      "properties": {
        "id": "topic-components",
        "name": "Cell components and electrode materials",
        "lede": "What a cell is physically made of — active materials, binders, additives, foils and tabs — and how its electrodes are put together.",
        "context": "Connect each material with its function.",
        "example": "Electrons travel through additive, foil and tab; ions use electrolyte and separator pathways.",
        "lesson_url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/fundamentals/cell-anatomy/",
        "lesson_label": "Open cell anatomy"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:active-material",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Active material",
      "properties": {
        "id": "active-material",
        "name": "Active material",
        "abbr": "AM",
        "section": "topic-components",
        "definition": "The part of an electrode that actually stores lithium — graphite on the negative side, an oxide or phosphate on the positive. It makes up most of the electrode coating; the rest is binder and conductive additive.",
        "related": [
          "cathode-active-material",
          "anode-active-material",
          "binder",
          "conductive-additive",
          "specific-capacity"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-architecture/#composite",
        "example": {
          "title": "Choose a mass basis",
          "text": "A 100 g coating containing 95 g active material has different specific-capacity numbers when normalized to active mass versus total coating mass."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/active-material/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrode",
          "graphite",
          "coating"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:nmc",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "NMC",
      "properties": {
        "id": "nmc",
        "name": "NMC",
        "aka": [
          "NCM",
          "nickel manganese cobalt oxide",
          "LiNiMnCoO₂"
        ],
        "section": "topic-chemistries",
        "definition": "A family of layered-oxide positive electrode materials, LiNiₓMnᵧCo₁₋ₓ₋ᵧO₂, used in many electric-vehicle cells. Variants are named by their metal ratio: NMC811 has eight parts nickel to one each of manganese and cobalt.",
        "related": [
          "cathode-active-material",
          "high-nickel",
          "nca",
          "lfp",
          "cobalt"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-anatomy/#components",
        "example": {
          "title": "Read the composition label",
          "text": "NMC811 denotes nominal nickel:manganese:cobalt proportions of 8:1:1 in the transition-metal component, not 80% nickel by whole-cell mass."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/nmc/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrode",
          "positive-electrode",
          "manganese"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:lfp",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "LFP",
      "properties": {
        "id": "lfp",
        "name": "LFP",
        "aka": [
          "lithium iron phosphate",
          "LiFePO₄"
        ],
        "section": "topic-chemistries",
        "definition": "A positive electrode material, LiFePO₄, giving cells a nominal voltage around 3.2 V, long cycle life and good thermal stability, but less energy per kilogram than nickel-rich oxides. Its flat voltage curve makes state of charge hard to read from voltage alone.",
        "related": [
          "cathode-active-material",
          "nmc",
          "lmfp",
          "ocv-soc-curve",
          "cycle-life"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-anatomy/#voltage",
        "example": {
          "title": "Chemistry is not the whole datasheet",
          "text": "Two LFP products can differ in format, loading, capacity and current limits. Their cathode family alone does not make them interchangeable."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/lfp/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrode",
          "positive-electrode",
          "nominal-voltage",
          "discharge-curve",
          "state-of-charge"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:precursor",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Precursor cathode active material",
      "properties": {
        "id": "precursor",
        "name": "Precursor cathode active material",
        "abbr": "pCAM",
        "section": "topic-manufacturing",
        "definition": "The mixed nickel–manganese–cobalt hydroxide made by co-precipitation from metal sulfate solutions, before lithium is added. Its particle size and shape are set here and carried through to the finished NMC powder.",
        "related": [
          "cathode-active-material",
          "calcination",
          "nmc",
          "nickel-sulfate"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/precursor/",
        "mentions": [
          "particle-size",
          "cobalt",
          "manganese"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:specific-capacity",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Specific capacity",
      "properties": {
        "id": "specific-capacity",
        "name": "Specific capacity",
        "section": "topic-ratings",
        "definition": "Charge stored per gram of active material, in mAh/g. It is the figure materials scientists quote: about 150–200 mAh/g for layered oxides, 160 for LFP, 372 theoretical for graphite and about 3600 for silicon.",
        "unit": "mAh/g",
        "related": [
          "theoretical-capacity",
          "active-material",
          "specific-energy",
          "faradays-law"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/specific-capacity/",
        "mentions": [
          "milliampere-hour",
          "graphite"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:electrode",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Electrode",
      "properties": {
        "id": "electrode",
        "name": "Electrode",
        "section": "topic-components",
        "definition": "A solid conductor where the cell’s reaction happens, in contact with the electrolyte. A lithium-ion cell has a negative electrode and a positive electrode, each a porous coating on a metal foil.",
        "related": [
          "negative-electrode",
          "positive-electrode",
          "porous-electrode",
          "current-collector"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-anatomy/#components",
        "example": {
          "title": "Two transport paths",
          "text": "Electrons need connected solid paths to the collector; ions need electrolyte paths to reaction sites. More of one constituent displaces others at fixed volume."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/electrode/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrolyte",
          "coating"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:positive-electrode",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Positive electrode",
      "properties": {
        "id": "positive-electrode",
        "name": "Positive electrode",
        "section": "topic-components",
        "definition": "The electrode at the higher potential: a lithium metal oxide or phosphate coated on aluminium foil. It is the lithium source when a cell is built, and industry calls it the cathode.",
        "related": [
          "cathode",
          "cathode-active-material",
          "negative-electrode",
          "aluminium-foil"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-anatomy/#anode-cathode",
        "example": {
          "title": "Polarity and reaction",
          "text": "The positive electrode retains its polarity label while its electrochemical reaction reverses between charge and discharge."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/positive-electrode/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrode"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:nominal-voltage",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Nominal voltage",
      "properties": {
        "id": "nominal-voltage",
        "name": "Nominal voltage",
        "section": "topic-ratings",
        "definition": "A representative average voltage of a cell over a full discharge, such as 3.6–3.7 V for an oxide/graphite cell or about 3.2 V for LFP/graphite. Multiplied by capacity, it gives nominal energy.",
        "unit": "V",
        "related": [
          "nominal-energy",
          "open-circuit-voltage",
          "voltage-window",
          "lfp"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/capacity-and-c-rate/#energy",
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/nominal-voltage/",
        "mentions": [
          "graphite"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:energy-density",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Energy density",
      "properties": {
        "id": "energy-density",
        "name": "Energy density",
        "aka": [
          "volumetric energy density"
        ],
        "section": "topic-ratings",
        "definition": "Stored energy per unit volume, in watt-hours per litre. It is the figure that matters when space is the constraint, as in a phone or under a car floor; high-energy cylindrical cells pass 700 Wh/L.",
        "unit": "Wh/L",
        "related": [
          "specific-energy",
          "nominal-energy",
          "ragone-plot",
          "areal-loading"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/capacity-and-c-rate/#energy",
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/energy-density/",
        "mentions": []
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "reference:manthiram-cathodes",
      "type": "Reference",
      "label": "A reflection on lithium-ion battery cathode chemistry",
      "properties": {
        "title": "A reflection on lithium-ion battery cathode chemistry",
        "publisher": "Nature Communications",
        "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15355-0",
        "type": "Review article",
        "scope": "Layered oxides, spinels and polyanion cathodes; links between composition, structure and performance.",
        "year": 2020,
        "authors": [
          "Arumugam Manthiram"
        ],
        "accessed": "2026-10-27"
      }
    }
  ]
}