In the past decades, research efforts on polyanion-type cathode materials by the scientific community intensified significantly. This paper reviews the latest advances in the exploration and development of polyanion-type compounds as high performance cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. It focuses on the synthesis, structure and physicochemical (especially electrochemical) properties of several classes of polyanion compounds. The relationship between composition–structure–performance of the novel electrode materials is also summarized and analyzed. The main approaches, achievements and challenges in this field are briefly commented and discussed.
