LITHIUM ION BATTERY MANUFACTURING UNIT

Lithium batteries are now powering a wide range of electrical and electronical devices, including laptop computers, mobile phones, power tools, telecommunication systems and new generations of electric cars and vehicles.

Lithium batteries are mainly of two types:

Lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries. Basically, the difference between them is that lithium metal batteries are those that are not rechargeable, thus, primary, and lithium ion batteries are those that can be recharged. As an example, your laptop or cell phone is likely to have a lithium ion battery, whereas your watch may have a lithium metal battery

TYPES OF LI BATTERIES

(A) Lithium-Metal Batteries

Lithium-metal batteries are known as primary batteries and are usually non-rechargeable. They contain metallic lithium and feature higher charge densities (longer life) than other non-rechargeable batteries (e.g. alkaline or zinc-carbon). The most common type of lithium batteries use metallic lithium as anode, manganese dioxide as cathode and a salt of lithium dissolved in an organic solvent, usually composed of a mixture of a high-permittivity (e.g. propylene carbonate) and a low-viscosity solvent(e.g.dimethoxyethane).

Having a longer life, lithium-metal batteries can replace ordinary alkaline batteries in many consumer devices, such as calculators, pacemakers, remote car locks, cameras or watches.

(B) Lithium-Ion Batteries

On the basis of chemistry used for ions carrying electrolyte material, Lithium battery can be classified into Lithium ion and lithium Polymer. Lithium ion battery uses liquid lithium ion as electrolyte while lithium polymer use solid or gelatin like polymers as electrolyte.Lithium ion batteries have high energy density and cost less than lithium polymer

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries , also known as secondary batteries, are rechargeable batteries in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode, usually made of carbon, to the positive electrode made of a metal oxide (nickel, manganese and cobalt) during discharge, and back when charging. The electrolyte is typically a mixture of organic solvents, such as ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate or diethyl carbonate, containing complexes of lithium ions, such as lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), Lithium hexafluoroarsenate monohydrate (LiAsF6), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4) or lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3).

Li-ion batteries have high energy density, tiny memory effect and low self-discharge. They are commonly found in home and portable electronics (e.g. laptop computers). They are also growing in popularity for battery electric vehicles or aerospace applications and are becoming a common replacement for many applications that have been using historically lead acid batteries.

Advantage

Lighter Design: Li-ion batteries are lighter as compared to other rechargeable batteries considering the battery capacity and are thus used in portable consumer electronic devices where weight and form factor are the important selling points.

High energy density: Li-ion batteries have a higher energy density when compared to other rechargeable batteries. Li-ion Batteries have high power capacity without being too bulky. Lithium ion batteries are thus used in electronic equipment like mobile phones and laptops, which need to operate longer between charges while consuming more power and need batteries with a much higher energy density. Additionally, electric vehicles also run on Li-ion batteries.

Low self-discharge and longer shelf life: Li-ion battery has lower self-discharge rate as compared to other rechargeable batteries, about 1.5 percent per month which enables longer shelf life when not in use as it discharges slowly than other rechargeable batteries.

Lower memory effect: Memory effect refers to as the process of losing maximum energy capacity of rechargeable batteries due to repeated recharges after being only partially discharged. Li-ion battery has a minimal memory effect, while other rechargeable batteries like nickel-metal hydride have a very high memory effect.

Quick charging: Lithium-ion batteries take lesser time to charge as compared to other rechargeable batteries like lead acid, nickel-metal hydride, and nickel- cadmium.

Longer lifespan: Li-ion batteries have a longer life span as compared to others. Some lithium ion batteries lose 30 percent of their capacity after 1000 cycles while advanced lithium ion batteries have better capacity even after 5000 cycles.

Low maintenance: Li-ion batteries do not require maintenance to ensure their performance at optimal level.

High open-circuit voltage: Li-ion batteries exhibit higher open-circuit voltage due to their chemistry when compared to other batteries such as lead acid, nickel-metal hydride, and nickel-cadmium.

Disadvantages

(I) Circuit protection requirement to prevent thermal run-away if stressed;

(II) Degradation at high temperatures and when stored at high voltage;

(III) No rapid charge possible at freezing temperatures

(IV) Severe transportation regulations required when shipping in larger quantities.

Li-ion is a generic term used to cover several types of battery chemistries and several formats for various applications. Each of them has their own pros and cons.