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What Are Lithium Batteries?

Lithium Batteries are part of the disposable battery family which contains lithium ions. They are mainly used in the items which need continuous and reliable supply of power.

Author: Amie Cobb
Date: Jun 12, 2011 - 9:27:35 PM

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Lithium Batteries are part of the disposable battery family which contains lithium ions. They are mainly used in the items which need continuous and reliable supply of power. Lithium is supposed to be the lightest metal and they possess the maximum potential for electrochemical activities. Recently it has become very popular in the world of consumer electronics. Their light weight and high energy capacity have increased their usage in the portable electronic devices.

Lithium batteries do not use any kind of poisonous metals like cadmium or lead, thereby making it safe for use. They are the most popular batteries commonly found in electronic items such as the cell phones, laptops, iPods, and so on. Their popularity owes to the very many advantages provided by these batteries. They come in two different types, the primary and the secondary.

The primary batteries are those that need to be disposed after its life has been completely depleted. The secondary lithium batteries are the ones which have the capacity to recharge any number of times until its final depletion. Of all the batteries, lithium batteries are the most energetic. These batteries are made of lithium and carbon electrodes. Lithium is the lightest metal making the batteries also light in weight.

The primary type of lithium batteries which are non-rechargeable are mainly used in electronic items that requires less power like the camera, CD players, toys, watches, and so on. The rechargeable type lithium batteries are used in many areas including military, medical, and consumer electronics. Recently they have become popular in the automobile industry as well due to their high energy-storage capacity.

Being a highly reactive element, lithium has the capability of energy storage in the atomic bonds. This property of Lithium enables the lithium batteries to provide for high energy density. On average, lithium battery could store 150 watt-hour of power in a battery of 1 kg.

This is very high when compared to the ordinary batteries like the lead battery which can store only up to 25 watt. Even the nickel-metal hydride batteries do not match to the capacity of the lithium batteries as they can store only up to 70 watt-hour of power. This clearly shows that lithium batteries have double the energy capacity of the older batteries.

Even the maintenance of the lithium batteries is not very high. Another advantage of lithium batteries is that they do not have memory effect. Unlike the nickel-cadmium batteries where successful recharge is possible only on complete discharge of the batteries, Lithium batteries can be recharged even without complete discharge.

Deterioration in the capacity is noticed when lithium batteries are in use or not. Capacity deterioration is a common factor in all the batteries. Every chemical element used will have age-related deterioration. But as compared to the nickel-cadmium batteries, their battery life can stand up to five years. The disposal of lithium batteries are easy and their pollution level is much low.

Visit www.h-squared.co.uk for all your battery needs. They have a range of batteries like alkaline, lithium, zinc, and silver oxide. You get lithium batteries of all sizes - AA, AAA, D, C, and so on.

View all articles by Amie Cobb

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