The solution-combustion route is beneficial for fast and easy synthesis of cathode materials for Li-ion cells. LiFeO2 synthesized by this method results in an amorphous phase that exhibits poor electrochemical activity with an initial specific capacity of only about 80 mAh g(-1) and on annealing it transforms into an electrochemically inactive phase. On the other hand, alpha-NaFeO2 synthesized by a solution-combustion method and subjected to Na+/Li+ exchange by refluxing with LiBr solution in n-hexanol to obtain layered LiFeO2, exhibits an initial specific capacity of about 205 mAh g(-1) with capacity fading after prolonged charge-discharge cycling. LiFe0.9C0.1O2, synthesized by the same route, shows a stable specific capacity of about 190 mAh g(-1). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.