Doubtlessly, the world is undergoing an electric revolution, and the demand for cheaper, smaller, and better batteries has never been so high. More and more money is being poured into the research and development of batteries. New strides are being made in battery technology. Still, all these developments are based upon research that has been done for decades ago on the third element in the periodic table, which is none other than LITHIUM.
It is a very light metal and falls under the group “alkali” of the periodic table. It has three electrons and is very reactive. Besides that, lithium is an excellent choice for the anode. Apart from this, individual lithium-ion cells can achieve a very high voltage of up to 4 volts as opposed to just 1.5 volts with conventional cells.
This high voltage is due to the high reactivity of the metal. The specific energy and specific power of lithium-based batteries are also very high. The energy density of lithium batteries is about 200 Wh/kg. This is about 2 to 4 times more than conventional batteries.
Lithium batteries also have a high operational range in terms of temperature. These batteries are known to work anywhere between the temperatures of -40 degree celsius and 70 degrees Celsius. The shelf life of lithium-ion batteries is also very high. Some variants of these batteries can work even after sitting idle for almost ten years at a stretch.
That is why such batteries are highly preferable for automobiles, household applications, etc. When exposed to air, Lithium reacts with the moisture present in the atmosphere and forms a lithium oxide, and releases hydrogen.
Lithium is stable when it forms an oxide with a metal. Different metals in the metal oxide constitute different types of lithium-ion batteries. However, the basic working of lithium-ion batteries is similar in most cases. There are six types of lithium-ion chemistries. They are listed hereunder:
- Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO)
- Lithium iron phosphate (LFP)
- Lithium manganese oxide (LMO)
- Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA)
- Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC)
- Lithium titanate oxide (LTO)
Among various lithium batteries, a lithium iron phosphate battery, aka LiFePo4 battery, has numerous applications. They are highly preferable in solar power generation systems.
Best supplier of lithium battery:
Among various suppliers, MPPT is a professional company that deals with a wide variety of lithium batteries. Besides lithium batteries, we also deal with inverters and other related equipment. Contact us to get a quote.
