The Positives and Negatives of Lithium-Ion Batteries

We use batteries almost every day of our life. In today's technology market, the most commonly used portable power source is the Lithium-Ion Battery. They are used on just about everything we own that is a portable device. We use them in cell phones, PDAs, MP3s and laptops.

The reason that they are so commonplace is that for their size and weight they generate up to six times more electricity than the average battery. They are generally lighter than other rechargeable batteries of their size. The do have one major drawback that has gotten them unwanted attention in the new in the past. Every once in a while they can catch fire and destroy whatever piece of technology that they are being used in. However, this occurrence is limited in numbers.

A lithium battery uses two basic materials to generate electricity. LiCoO₂ - Commonly called lithium and C - Carbon. Lithium in itself is highly reactive element, meaning a great deal of energy can be store in its atomic bonds translating into a high energy density. A lithium-ion battery can store 150watt hours of electricity at one kilogram. A nickel-metal-hydride or NiMH battery can store at best 100watt hours in one kilogram. And a lead-acid battery can store, at best, 25watt hours of electricity per kilo. It would take six kilograms of a lead acid battery (car battery) to store the same amount of energy as one kilo of lithium-ion battery.

Another reason that they are so popular is they hold their charge very well and only degrade at a rate of five percent per month. Compare that with the twenty percent loss per month of a nickel-metal-hydride battery. The down side to only losing five percent per month is that no matter what happens, they will continue degrading as they get older.

Another added bonus to using a lithium-ion battery is that they have no memory effect. Meaning they do not have to be fully discharged before they can be charged again unlike some other battery chemical compositions. Lithium-ion batteries are capable of handling hundreds of cycles of discharge and recharge.

The biggest flaw or drawback to the lithium-ion battery is that begin degrading as soon as they are manufactured. The typical lithium-ion battery, will only last two to three years whether or not they are being used. When purchasing a "new" battery, make sure to check the manufacture date. Don't purchase one unless it was recently built within the month or two.

Another drawback to using a lithium-ion battery is temperature. A lithium-ion battery is extremely sensitive to heat. Heat will cause a lithium-ion battery to degrade much faster than it was designed. Heat can also be very dangerous when using a lithium-ion battery.

The last drawback to a lithium battery is to make sure that they never get fully discharged. If a lithium-ion battery gets fully discharged it will be completely ruined. Also the number one cause of a lithium-ion battery fire is that the battery in most cases, the battery had been fully discharged.