Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are popular energy storage technologies to power portable electronics. While there exist several working principles for LIBs, the principle based on the intercalation chemistry is better understood and many intercalation LIBs have been commercialized. The cathode components in those intercalation LIBs greatly dictate the energy densities and possess the largest occupancy of the raw materials cost (~22%). To promote a widescale adoption of LIBs in other sectors (e.g. transportation) requires developing cathode materials with lower cost and higher energy densities.