Lithium-ion batteries

Aditya Gupta
Abstract: The development of new electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has
always been a focal area of materials science, as the current technology may not be able to
meet the high energy demands for electronic devices with better performance.
Introduction: Lithium-ion batteries have also been in the news lately. Thats because these......1
batteries have the ability to burst into flames occasionally. They have their own advantages
and disadvantages. It's not very common, just two or three battery packs per million have a
problem. But still they remain necessary product.
Lithium-ion batteries are popular because they have a number of important advantages over
competing technologies:
1. They're generally much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same
size. The electrodes of a lithium-ion battery are made of lightweight lithium and
carbon. Lithium is also a highly reactive element, meaning that a lot of energy can be
stored in its atomic bonds.
2. A typical lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of electricity in 1 kilogram of
battery. A NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery pack can store perhaps 100 watt-hours
per kilogram, although 60 to 70 watt-hours might be more typical. A lead-acid
battery can store only 25 watt-hours per kilogram. Using lead-acid technology, it takes
6 kilograms to store the same amount of energy that a 1 kilogram lithium-ion battery
can handle.
3. They hold their charge. A lithium-ion battery pack loses only about 5 percent of its
charge per month, compared to a 20 percent loss per month for NiMH batteries.
4. They have no memory effect, which means that you do not have to completely
discharge them before recharging, as with some other battery chemistries.
5. Lithium-ion batteries can handle hundreds of charge/discharge cycles.
That is not to say that lithium-ion batteries are flawless. They have a few disadvantages as..1
well:
1. They start degrading as soon as they leave the factory. They will only last two or three
years from the date of manufacture whether you use them or not.
2. They are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Heat causes lithium-ion battery
packs to degrade much faster than they normally would.

3. If you completely discharge a lithium-ion battery, it is ruined.

4. A lithium-ion battery pack must have an on-board computer to manage the battery.
This makes them even more expensive than they already are.
5. There is a small chance that, if a lithium-ion battery pack fails, it will burst into flame.
Structure: A lithium-ion battery (sometimes Li-ion battery or LIB) is a member of a..2
rechargeable battery types in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the
positive electrode during discharge and back when charging. Li-ion batteries use an
intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium
used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery. The electrolyte which allows for ionic movement,
and the two electrodes are the consistent components of a lithium-ion cell.

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History

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1. In 1991, Sony and Asahi Kasei released the first commercial lithium-ion battery.
2. In 1996, Goodenough, Akshaya Padhi and co-workers proposed lithium iron
phosphate (LiFePO4) and other phospho-olivines (lithium metal phosphates with the
same structure as mineral olivine) as positive electrode materials.

3. In 2002, Yet-Ming Chiang and his group at MIT showed a substantial improvement in
the performance of lithium batteries by boosting the material's conductivity
4. In 2004, Chiang again increased performance by utilizing iron (III)
phosphate particles of less than 100 nanometres in diameter.
5. As of 2011, lithium-ion batteries accounted for 66% of all portable secondary (i.e.,
rechargeable) battery sales in Japan.
6. In June 2012, John Goodenough, Rachid Yazami and Akira Yoshino received the
2012 IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies for developing the
lithium ion battery.
Summary:
Lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries are becoming popular day by day. They have their own hazards
and benefits. It is lighter in comparison to other lightweight secondary batteries and contain
more energy. Moreover, it can be charged hundreds of times. But it also has its negativities. It
can burst into flame and lasts some years only despite being expensive. It has a long history
where it was improvised again and again and now it stands as a necessary component of our
gadgets.
References:
1. www.howstuffworks.com
2. www.wikipedia.org
3. www.blogs.anl.gov