Characteristics of lithium-ion batteries

Characteristics of lithium-ion batteries

Batteries are classified into "primary batteries" which are dry batteries that can only be used once, and "secondary batteries" which can be recharged multiple times. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable secondary batteries that are not only smaller and lighter in size than other types of batteries, but also can store a higher amount of electrical energy.
Types and characteristics of lithium-ion batteries
Cobalt based lithium ion battery
Lithium cobalt oxide is used as the positive electrode. Lithium cobalt oxide is relatively easy to synthesize and easy to use. Therefore, the earliest mass production of lithium-ion batteries was lithium cobalt oxide battery. However, because cobalt is a rare metal and expensive, it is almost never used in automobile parts.
Manganese lithium ion battery
Lithium manganate is used as the positive electrode. The advantage is that the voltage is similar to that of cobalt-based lithium-ion batteries, and the manufacturing cost is cheap. The disadvantage is that manganese may melt into the electrolyte during charging and discharging, shortening the life of the battery.
Iron phosphate lithium ion battery
Lithium iron phosphate is used as the positive electrode. The advantage of iron phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries is that even the internal heating structure is difficult to damage, is highly safe, and uses iron as raw material, so its manufacturing cost is lower than that of manganese-based batteries. But the voltage is lower than other lithium-ion batteries.
Ternary lithium-ion battery
Ternary lithium-ion batteries are batteries made of three materials: cobalt, nickel, and manganese in order to reduce the amount of cobalt. Nowadays, most ternary lithium-ion batteries contain a higher proportion of nickel. Although the voltage is slightly lower than that of cobalt and manganese series, it can reduce manufacturing costs. However, despite this, the synthesis and preparation of each material is difficult and the stability is low. There are still issues to be solved as practical materials.