what is Lithium Ion Battery

In our technologically driven modern world, electrical energy plays a major role in every walk of life. The role of Lithium Ion Battery becomes extremely important when it comes to the need for portable energy, issues of shortage of energy supply, fluctuations in power supply, etc. Lithium Ion Battery offers unmatched performance in terms of energy efficiency, charging usage, and many other aspects. ,

Lithium Ion Battery is an important topic for the Science & Technology section of General Studies Paper-3 (Mains) of the UPSC IAS Exam. This article has analyzed in detail the properties of Lithium Ion batteries, including their working principle, uses, types, applications, advantages and disadvantages, and environmental impact.

Recent Updates on Lithium Ion Batteries

Researchers at the University of California have succeeded in making lithium-ion battery cathodes without using cobalt. This achievement could potentially solve a long-standing concern about the safety and stability of high-nickel battery materials. Exide Industries, a major lead acid battery player in the Indian market has inaugurated its first Lithium Ion Gigafactory in Bengaluru and is going to invest around Rs 6000 crore in the project.

Exide Industries and Switzerland’s Leclench have started mass production at Gujarat’s largest Lithium Ion battery plant.  The total installed capacity of the plant is 1.5 GWh. Learn about Genetic Engineering – Meaning, Process, Types & Examples for UPSC here!

What are Lithium Ion batteries?

Lithium Ion / Li-Ion / LIB is an advanced type of battery that uses lithium ions as a fundamental component for its electrochemistry.

The first working LIB was built by M Stanley Whittingham of Britain in the 1970s. In the year 2019, 3 scientists- John B Goodenough, M Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contribution to the development of lithium-ion batteries. It is a rechargeable type of battery commonly used in portable electronic items including mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries have a high energy density that is almost twice that of conventional nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, and their self-discharge is less than half that of NiCds.

It is important to note that lithium ion batteries are made of lithium ions and not lithium metal which is highly reactive.
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Working Principle of Lithium Ion Batteries

Basic Structure: Lithium Ion is a rechargeable battery made up of one or more cells (a cell is an electricity generating compartment of the battery) and each cell has the following essential components- an anode, a cathode, A separator, electrolyte and two current collectors one positive and negative. The positive electrode is made of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). The negative electrode is made of carbon (graphite).

The general function is as follows:

Lithium is stored at the anode and cathode. The electrolyte moves the positively charged lithium ions from the cathode to the anode and vice versa through the separator. Free electrons are created at the anode due to the movement of lithium ions. This in turn creates a charge on the positive current collector. Electric current then flows through a device, for example a cell phone to the negative collector. The separator prevents the flow of current inside the battery. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs): Know Introduction, Purpose, Importance, Benefits, Characteristics for UPSC!

Charge and Discharge: During the discharge of the battery, the anode releases lithium ions to the cathode which generates electron flow from one side to the other and during this process electric current is provided. The opposite occurs when a device is connected and lithium ions are released by the cathode and received by the anode; Lithium ion batteries work in exactly the same way.

Types of Lithium Ion Battery

Lithium ion batteries are classified based on the active materials used in their chemistry. Each type of lithium ion battery has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are basically 6 types of Lithium Ion batteries available in the market, they are: Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) or LFP Battery | Lithium iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) or LFP Batteries
Phosphate is used as the cathode and graphite as the anode. LFP provides good thermal stability and performance.

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) or LFP Battery | Lithium iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) or LFP Batteries Phosphate is used as the cathode and graphite as the anode. LFP provides good thermal stability and performance. Uses: LFPs are the most common lithium ion battery used to replace traditional lead acid batteries.

Benefits: Safety, durability and long life cycle.

• Drawbacks: The performance suffers in low temperature and they also have low specific energy. F-16 Fighter Jet – Know the Background, Features and Importance of F16 Fighter Jet for UPSC Exam! Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) | Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) These batteries have high specific energy but low specific power.
• Uses: Small portable electronic items like- mobile phones, laptops, cameras etc. Advantages: Due to the high specific energy, LCO batteries provide power over a long period of time. Drawbacks: Expensive, short life span, cannot be used for high load applications. Lucism: Know its Definition, Causes, Case for UPSC in detail here!

Lithium Magnesium Oxide (LMO) | Lithium Magnesium Oxide (LMO)

LMOs use MgO2 as the cathode material to improve ion flow.  Uses: Portable power tools, Electric and hybrid vehicles, Medical equipment. Benefits: Quick charging, High current delivery, Better thermal stability, Safety. Drawbacks: Short life span is the biggest drawback of LMO. Sunway TaihuLight Computer – Learn About China’s Fastest Supercomputer for UPSC Exams!

• Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) | Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) The combination
• of nickel, manganese and cobalt results in a stable chemical with a high specific energy. Usage: Powertool, electric powertrain for e-bike and some electric vehicles.
• Benefits: High power density, long life cycle and low cost.
• Drawbacks: Lower voltage output than cobalt based batteries.
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Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) | Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA)
Can deliver high amounts of current for extended periods of time.

Usage: Most popular in electric vehicle market, eg. Tesla Cars.Benefits: Can perform in high power and high load applications with a good life span. Drawbacks: NCA batteries are expensive and comparatively less safe. Lithium Titanate  Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) | Lithium Titanate/ Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) All the above discussed battery types have different cathode materials but LTO uses ‘Lithium Titanate’ as anode while LMO or NMC is used as cathode.

Uses: Electric vehicles, Charging stations, UPS, Wind and solar energy storage, Street lights, Military equipment, Aerospace, Telecommunication systems. Advantages: Fast Charging, Wide Operating Temperature, Long Lifespan, Very Safe. Drawbacks: Low power density, very expensive. Copernicus Program – Background, Components and India’s association with Copernicus Know in detail here!

Applications of Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium ion batteries are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Hence they are ideal for meeting the power needs of any system regardless of its size and nature. Some of the most prominent applications of lithium ion batteries are

Power Backup/Emergency Power/UPS: Lithium-Ion batteries provide instant backup power in case of emergency and allow us to safely shut down or keep critical equipment running during an emergency. These batteries are widely used in computer, communication and medical technology. Solar Energy Storage Units: Lithium ion batteries are best suited for energy storage in a solar energy unit as these batteries charge very quickly, maximize solar energy storage capacity and allow us to extract the highest possible power from the Sun.

As a portable power source: In consumer electronic goods today all our electronic gadgets like mobile phones, bluetooth speakers laptops, digital cameras, torches etc are all powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries which allow us to use these gadgets freely anywhere and everywhere allows to use it properly. Electric Automobile/Mobility: Vehicle emissions of fossil fuels are a major reason for the increase in environmental pollution. Lithium ion battery powered vehicles reduce pollution to a great extent and thus reduce our carbon footprint.