HOME
BATTERY
LAPTOP
FAQ
GLOSSARY
LINKS
SITE MAP
FAQ: Types and Chemistries
What is a Lithium Ion Battery (Li-Ion)?
What is a Nickel Metal Hydride Battery (NiMH)?
What is a Nickel Cadmium Battery (NiCd)?
What is a Lithium Ion Polymer Battery (Li-Ion Polymer)?
What is a battery cell?
What is a Lithium Ion Battery (Li-Ion)?
Lithium Ion batteries use Lithium Oxide and a Carbon compound (usually Graphite) as the electrodes. The electrodes are separated by a microporous film which contains an organic solvent acting as the electrolyte. Compared to NiCd and NiMH batteries, Li-Ion batteries have a higher power to weight ratio, they are smaller and lighter yet provide the same power. Unlike NiCd and NiMH batteries, Li-Ion batteries do not suffer from the memory effect. Li-Ion cells also have much lower levels of self-discharging. These factors combined with the higher production costs mean that Li-Ion cells are comparatively more expensive. The Department of Chemistry at Oregon State University has an informative and technical page on battery chemistries and how these work.- TOP
What is a Nickel Metal Hydride Battery (NiMH)?
This battery type uses Nickel and other rare earth metals as the electrodes and Potassium Hydroxide as the electrolyte. NiMH batteries are constructed from non-toxic metals making it more environmentally friendly than other battery designs. NiMH batteries are similar to NiCd batterys in that they suffer from the memory effect, however they are much lighter and have a higher capacity, thus a higher power to weight ratio. The NiMH battery has a much shorter life span than NiCd and Li-Ion batteries.- TOP
What is a Nickel Cadmium / Ni-Cad Battery (NiCd)?
This battery uses Nickel and Cadmium as its electrodes and aqueous Potassium Hydroxide as the electrolyte. It is an older type of battery, but is quick to charge and can handle higher loads. These batteries suffer from the "memory effect". Also due to the presence of heavy metals, they are environmentally unsafe and hazardous.- TOP
What is a Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery?
Lithium-Ion Polymer Batteries have similar characteristics to Lithium Ion cells but use a thin polymer as the electrolyte. The dry polymer design allows the fabrication of this type of battery to be cheaper and smaller. The polymer electrolyte is also flexible and can moulded to suit the desired application. Lithium polymer cells are often found in mobile phones and digital cameras.- TOP
What is a battery cell?
A single battery is also referred to as a battery cell (e.g. 1 AA cell). Most battery packs contain rows of cells linked in series to increase the available voltage and the rows then linked parallel to increase the available capacity. A laptop battery pack typically contains 6 high power rechargeable Li-Ion cells.- TOP