How Does a Lithium-Ion Battery Work?

How Does a Lithium-Ion Battery Work?

Today, different types of batteries are used in different types of appliances. As a matter of fact, these battery packs provide plenty of power to meet the needs of millions of people across the globe. You can find them on laptops, mobile phones, electric cars, and numerous other appliances and devices. This is the reason this technology has been growing in popularity. These units are lightweight, provide high energy, and can be recharged hundreds of times. In this article, we are going to find out how these units work.

The Basics

A battery consists of several components, such as an electrolyte, separator, cathode, anode, and a pair of current collectors. The anode and cathode help store the lithium. On the other hand, the electrolytes are responsible for carrying positively charged ions through the separator.

The movement of the ions helps create energy electrons. The electrical current flows to the target device, which can be a computer or cell phone for assistance. The function of the separator is to restrict the flow of electrons within the battery. So, this is a brief introduction to the basics of these power units.

Charge/Discharge

One of the greatest qualities of Lithium-ion batteries is that they can be charged and recharged hundreds of times. While the battery is in use, it continues to discharge. The anode of the battery release Lithium ions to the other side. As a result, electrons flow from one side to the other.

On the other hand, when you recharge the device, the Lithium ions come out of the cathode and go to the other side. So, this is how these batteries can be charged and recharged. If these batteries are properly charged, they can retain their capacity even after thousands of charge and recharge cycles.

This is good news for those who don’t want replace these units after a couple of years. Once installed, these units can be good for up to 8 years if taken care of. So, this is one of the greatest upsides of these products.

Power Density vs Energy Density

Power density and energy density are two common concepts that you need to understand when it comes to Lithium-ion batteries. The density of energy stored is measured in Wh/kg. This is the total amount of energy that can be stored in the battery unit with respect to the mass.

On the other hand, the power density or W/kg is the amount of power generated by the unit with respect to the mass. It works like a draining bowl. Energy density is like the size of the pool. On the other hand, power density works like a draining pool.

Long story short, this was an introduction to lithium-ion batteries and their functionality. Hopefully, this article will help you get a deeper understanding of these battery units. If you are looking for a good power battery pack to power your units, we suggest that you try these batteries.

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