Chemistry

The name lithium-ion battery (Li-ion battery or LiB) comes from the movement of lithium ions (Li⁺) within it, which results in the storage and release of electrical energy.

The choice of materials used in lithium-ion batteries has a big impact on their efficiency and performance.

The first lithium-ion battery was composed of lithium-metal, titanium disulfide, a polymer membrane, and a lithium salt in an organic solvent. These served as the anode (negative electrode), cathode (positive electrode), separator and electrolyte, respectively. Over time, these components have been significantly improved to enhance performance.

These days, carbon-based materials like graphite are commonly used for the anode, while different lithium-containing materials are used for the cathode (Berg, 2015; Wulandari et al., 2023).

_{Cut lithium. Dnn87; CC BY 3.0}

Lithium-ion batteries are produced in a discharged state, meaning that the lithium ions are located in the cathode, with none in the anode.

When the battery is charged, lithium ions move from the cathode through an ion conductive electrolyte to insert into the anode. During discharge, the lithium ions move back to the cathode. The following diagram shows both charge and discharge processes.

_{How a lithium-ion battery works. Argonne National Laboratory; CC BY-NC-SA 2.0}

To keep the battery balanced electrically, each lithium ion that moves inside the battery is matched by the flow of one electron in the external circuit (Bloch et al., 2022).

Advantages of lithium-ion batteries include:

• Lightweight
• Higher density than other rechargeable batteries
• Rate of charge loss is less
• Greater number of charge and discharge cycles
• Doesn’t need to be discharged completely (due to absence of memory effect)
• Operates at higher voltage than other rechargeable batteries (approximately 3.7 volt)

Disadvantages include:

• Risk of bursting
• Costly compared to other batteries
• Complete discharge damages the battery
• Extremely sensitive to high temperatures (degrades quickly if exposed to heat)
• Short lifespan (2 to 3 years from date of manufacturing even if not in use)
• Not available in standard cell sizes (AA, C and D) like others

Research and share

Research some companies known for producing Li-ion batteries. Try to learn about five companies and share what you’ve found in the comments below. (We’ll continue to learn about Li-ion production in the following steps.)

References

Berg, H. (2015). Batteries for electric vehicles: materials and electrochemistry. Cambridge University Press.

Bloch, D., Priem, T., Martinet, S., & Ngo, C. (2022). Li-ion batteries: Development and perspectives. EDP Sciences.

Pramanik, P. K. D., Sinhababu, N., Mukherjee, B., Padmanaban, S., Maity, A., Upadhyaya, B. K., Holm-Nielsen, J. B., & Choudhury, P. (2019). Power consumption analysis, measurement, management, and issues: A state-of-the-art review of smartphone battery and energy usage. ieee Access, 7, 182113-182172.

Wulandari, T., Fawcett, D., Majumder, S. B., & Poinern, G. E. (2023). Lithium‐based batteries, history, current status, challenges, and future perspectives. Battery Energy, 2(6), 20230030.