the pro\'s & cons of lithium ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries were invented by Gilbert N before 1912.
Lewis, but it\'s been a long time before they developed enough to launch in the mass market.
This happened in the early 1990s s when Sony pioneered their commercial use.
Lithium-ion batteries have many advantages.
They can be built in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to be customized according to the space available in the equipment that uses them.
Due to the nature of the material and the high open voltage, the battery is also much lighter than other batteries.
For obvious reasons, this low weight makes it ideal in handheld devices and mobile devices, and is popular in today\'s high-tech products.
Another major benefit is that they are not affected by the memory effect.
This is a case where other rechargeable batteries, if they are not fully discharged before charging, lose their maximum energy capacity over time, thus maintaining less power.
Their self-discharge rate is not as high as other batteries.
Compared to up to 5% per month for other battery types, only 30% per month.
However, the lithium ion battery is not perfect and there are shortcomings.
One of them is that their longevity depends on their age.
Not the time they were charged, nor the number of times they were charged.
No matter how many charging cycles they have, they gradually lose capacity from the date of manufacture.
Therefore, it is useful to know the manufacturing date, especially if the time interval from manufacturing to use is large.
G due to storage.
Some lithium ion batteries (
Such as laptop battery)
When stored at normal temperatures, about 20% of the capacity may be lost each year.
However, this number may increase to 35% per year when exposed to longer-term higher temperatures.
Another key factor is the charging level
These numbers can be greatly reduced when the storage part is charged.
This makes lithium-ion batteries unsuitable for certain applications
Backup battery, for example.
The battery must not be discharged below a certain threshold, otherwise the battery will be irrevocably damaged.
So when the charging level reaches the minimum threshold, the device that uses them has a built-in system to turn them off.
Therefore, lithium-ion batteries are specially designed and manufactured for the equipment they want to supply power and cannot be used as ordinary batteries.
Having said that, there are versions that have a built-in circuit to monitor the minimum charging level and turn the battery off when the battery reaches that level.
These are called \"smart\" batteries.
How to extend the life of your lithium ion battery
Unlike other rechargeable batteries, charge the battery in advance and often. -
If you are not going to use the battery for a long time, charge it to a level of about 40% capacity. -
The battery should stay cool.
They age faster at higher temperatures, so stay as cool as possible when not in use.
They can be stored safely in the refrigerator to prevent aging in the best way. (
Note: should not be frozen)-
If the device you are using is usually running from the power supply (e. . g laptop)
It is possible to remove the battery when using mains power.
This can prevent the battery from being exposed to high temperature for a long time, thus shortening the life of the battery. -
Any step to reduce the heat the battery receives will benefit the life of the battery. -
When purchasing a replacement, try to buy the battery with the shortest time from manufacturing to retail. (
Although it may be difficult to find this information).
In short, lithium-ion batteries are a very versatile battery that is ideal for lightweight applications and is not affected by memory effects.
However, they do degrade at higher temperatures, meaning they are not a generic battery solution.