Become familiar with the many different types of lithium-ion batteries: Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Manganese Oxide, Lithium Iron Phosphate and more.
Lithium-ion cells can be manufactured to optimize energy or power density. Handheld electronics mostly use lithium polymer batteries (with a polymer gel as an electrolyte), a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 or NMC) may offer longer life and a higher discharge rate.
A lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) battery (also known as Li-pol, lithium-poly, and other names) is a type of Li-ion battery with a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyte. All LiPo batteries use a high-conductivity gel polymer as the electrolyte. Lithium polymer cells have evolved from lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries.
The six lithium-ion battery types that we will be comparing are Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Manganese Oxide, Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide, and Lithium Titanate. Firstly, understanding the key terms below will allow for a simpler and easier comparison.
The anodes of most lithium-ion batteries are made from graphite. Typically, the mineral composition of the cathode is what changes, making the difference between battery chemistries. The cathode material typically contains lithium along with other minerals including nickel, manganese, cobalt, or iron.
Lithium batteries are more popular today than ever before. You’ll find them in your cell phone, laptop computer, cordless power tools, and even electric vehicles. However, just because all of these electronics use lithium batteries doesn’t mean they use the same type of lithium batteries.