Lithium-ion battery: what is it?

The lithium ion battery is an electrochemical accumulator that uses the lithium in an ionic form.

Principle of the lithium-ion battery

This battery releases electricity by exchange reversible lithium ions between two electrodes : a anode in graphite and an cathode in metal oxide. This exchange takes place within an electrolyte liquid.

Disadvantages of this battery

This device presents certain risks in the event of leakage, overheating or the formation of a crystalline structure of lithium between the electrodes. Different electromechanical systems equip this type of battery to avoid these events.

Advantages of this battery

The advantages of the battery lithium ion are its very high energy density (energy per unit of volume) and its high specific energy (energy per unit of mass). In addition, this type of battery is not affected by the memory effect and its self-discharge is reduced.

These characteristics make this battery one of the best current solutions for supplying electricity to mobile devices (camera, telephone mobile) where the vehicles (hybrid car, electric car).