A lithium ion battery relies heavily on lithium ions. It makes it cutting-edge battery technology. The ionization of lithium ions occurs at the anode. Later, the stripping of their electrons occurs during the discharge cycle. To neutralize the electrical charge, lithium ions go from the anode to the cathode.
They mix with electrons at the cathode. The ions need to pass through the micro-permeable separator to go from the anode to the cathode. Lithium ion batteries are able to store a lot of power and charge despite their tiny size. Likewise, they are also lightweight. It is because lithium is the third most compact element after hydrogen and helium.
What’s so remarkable about the lithium ion battery? What kind of precautions will you take when charging or discharging these batteries? This article will answer all the questions about lithium ion batteries.
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Chemistry and working of a lithium-ion battery
A lithium ion battery, as its name implies, makes use of Lithium ions to function. As we know that lithium is a lightweight metal with a high energy density. So, the battery may be compact while delivering a significant amount of current. The more energy a battery can store per unit of volume, and the more compact the battery may be. Moreover, an aa battery with lithium ion chemistry is better than an alkaline aa battery.
Lithium metal has a lot of impressive qualities. Yet, we cannot use it as an electrode in batteries without first converting it to a more stable form. As a result, we use lithium-ions in a lithium ion battery. The lithium ions are identical to lithium metal. But, they are non-metallic and hence safer to work with.
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Usually, a lithium ion battery has an anode composed of Carbon. Contrarily, Cobalt oxide or another metal oxide works as a cathode. A simple salt solution containing lithium ions serves as the electrolyte. It links the two electrodes. The cathode is positively charged when positively charged lithium ions migrate towards it during discharge. Because of its positive charge, the cathode draws electrons away from the anode. We force these electrons to pass through a circuit, giving it electricity.
Likewise, the inverse occurs when charging the lithium ion battery. The cathode loses its positive charge as electrons from the charge flow into the battery, causing the lithium ions to migrate toward the anode.
Why has the lithium ion battery become the standard for portable electronics?
The self-discharge rate of Li-ion batteries is rather low. It hovers between 1.5% and 2% each month. They are less of a hassle to dispose of than Ni-Cd batteries. It is because they do not contain the hazardous metal cadmium.
This is why the lithium ion battery has become the standard for portable electronics. It surpasses the Ni-Cd batteries in popularity. Some aerospace applications employ Li-ion batteries to power electrical systems. For example, the new and more eco-friendly Boeing 787 is a prime example. This is because of the cost-benefit analysis of reducing the aircraft’s overall weight.
The potential of Li-ion technology in battery-powered automobiles is exciting. Especially when it comes to the clean energy perspective. For instance, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S both rely on Li-ion batteries as their primary energy source.
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Advantages of a lithium ion battery
A lithium ion battery provides a variety of benefits. It is better than other rechargeable battery technologies like nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride. Its energy density is one of the greatest of any current battery technology.
The energy density is between 100 and 265 Wh/kg (or 250 and 670 Wh/L). You can also find a solar battery with lithium ion chemistry. The use of lithium ion in a solar battery provides a rechargeable energy solution with long battery life. Likewise, the best type of inverter battery is the one that uses lithium ions. This technology makes the inverter battery compact and efficient.
On top of that, a single lithium ion battery cell can provide up to 3.6 Volts, which is three times as much as older technologies like Ni-Cd and Ni-MH. High-power applications use lithium ion batteries. It is because these batteries can provide massive quantities of current.
Moreover, a lithium ion battery is also low-maintenance. It is because you do not need to cycle it at regular intervals.
More importantly, it does not have a memory effect issue. It occurs when you partially charge/discharge a battery as it “remembers” a reduced capacity. This is a benefit over the same effects of Ni-Cd and Ni-MH.
Disadvantages of lithium ion batteries
The self-discharge rate of Li-ion batteries is rather low. It hovers between 1.5% and 2% each month. They are less of a hassle to dispose of than Ni-Cd batteries. It is because they do not contain the hazardous metal cadmium.
This is why the lithium ion battery has become the standard for portable electronics. It surpasses the Ni-Cd batteries in popularity. Some aerospace applications employ Li-ion batteries to power electrical systems.
For example, the new and more eco-friendly Boeing 787 is a prime example. This is because of the cost-benefit analysis of reducing the aircraft’s overall weight.
The potential of Li-ion technology in battery-powered automobiles is exciting. Especially when it comes to the clean energy perspective. For instance, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S both rely on Li-ion batteries as their primary energy source.
Disadvantages of lithium ion batteries
The lithium ion battery has great potential in terms of technology. But it also has a lot of drawbacks, most notably in terms of safety.
Overheating issue
The lithium ion battery often overheats and is vulnerable to voltage spikes. This can cause thermal runaway and combustion in extreme instances. Due to this, many issues have arisen, most notably the grounding of the Boeing 787 aircraft after reports of battery fires.
Safety concerns
Many companies won’t transport batteries in large quantities via airplane due to the inherent dangers of doing so. Its size and efficiency are sometimes restricted. It is because of the need for safety measures to control the voltage and internal pressures of a lithium ion battery.
Aging problem
The lithium ion battery deteriorates during its usage. So, it causes the battery to gradually lose its original capacity and eventually die.
High cost of lithium ion battery
The fact that a lithium ion battery is around 40% more expensive than Ni-Cd also works against their broad adoption. Research on the technology now focuses in large part on resolving these kinds of problems.
Finally, a lithium ion battery has a far higher energy density than other batteries. However, it is still around a hundred times less energy dense than gasoline.
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The best practices for maintaining the health of a lithium ion battery
Our goal should be to keep the batteries in use for longer. By doing this, we may avoid the costs and environmental implications associated with producing new batteries. It also reduces the need for more raw materials, the effects of extraction, the release of greenhouse gasses, and the disposal of old batteries.
Keep your lithium ion battery packs from dying completely by charging them regularly (“deep-cycling”). Using the battery to only 20 or 30 percent capacity before needing to recharge can considerably extend its useful life. One complete discharge cycle is about similar to five to ten shallow ones. Since the high charge and discharge currents place a great deal of strain on your battery, they shorten its cycle life.
Conclusion
When compared to their predecessors, the lithium ion battery shows a major improvement. When compared to standard batteries, lithium-ion batteries can provide greater runtime in a smaller form factor since they charge faster, last longer, and have a better power density. A lithium ion battery will typically survive 500 charge/discharge cycles. Learning their inner workings will allow you to put them to greater use for yourself.
