Lithium batteries

A lithium battery is one that uses lithium or a lithium alloy instead of lead to generate power. Lithium is the lightest metal and offers the greatest electrochemical strength and energy density per weight. This makes lithium batteries enormously energy efficient and suitable for applications where weight and space are limiting.

The advantages of lithium batteries

High energy density: Lithium batteries can provide higher energy density than traditional rechargeable batteries such as nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and even higher than lithium-ion batteries. This makes these batteries ideal for applications such as mobile devices and laptops, where space and weight are minimal.

Longevity: Lithium batteries have a long service life and can undergo hundreds to thousands of charge cycles before their capacity decreases noticeably.

Charged longer: Lithium batteries have a low self-discharge that allows them to stay charged longer when not in use.

Higher voltage: Lithium batteries provide a high average voltage, often around 3.5 volts, which is higher than the 1.2 to 1.5 volts of NiCd or NiMH batteries.

Application of Lithium batteries

Lithium batteries are widely used in devices that require long life and high energy density, such as pacemakers, watches, electronic devices and backup power systems. The range of applications continues to expand as the technology advances.