What is a lithium ion battery and how does it work?

Lithium ion batteries belong to secondary batteries (rechargeable batteries) and work on lithium ions moving between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. In the process of charging and discharging, lithium ions are embedded and separated back and forth between the two electrodes of the battery, thereby generating current. The lithium ion battery consists of four parts.

1. Electrolyte containing lithium ions

2. Separator, allowing lithium ions to flow through the battery while preventing electrons from moving

3. Cathode, lithium ions are stored in the cathode before the battery is charged

4. Anode, where lithium ions are stored until the battery is discharged

When the battery is charged, lithium ions flow from the cathode to the anode through the electrolyte. When the battery is discharged, ions flow from the anode back to the cathode. Thereby generating a current to supply power to the electric equipment.

At present, the two most popular lithium-ion batteries are lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt ternary lithium battery (NMC).

What is nickel manganese cobalt ternary lithium battery?  

The cathode of nickel manganese cobalt ternary lithium battery is made of a combination of nickel, manganese and cobalt. Such batteries are ubiquitous: they usually power smartphones, laptops and electric cars. They are also one of the most popular choices for solar storage. The low-temperature performance of ternary lithium battery is better than that of lithium iron phosphate battery, and the energy density is also higher than that of lithium iron phosphate battery.

What is lithium iron phosphate battery?

The lithium iron phosphate battery has a lithium iron phosphate cathode (LiFePO4). The iron and phosphate used to manufacture the cathode are more abundant and lower in cost than some materials (mainly cobalt) of nickel manganese cobalt ternary lithium batteries. In addition, the material in the lithium iron phosphate battery is much less toxic than the material in the nickel manganese cobalt ternary lithium battery, making it easier to recover at the end of its life. The safety of lithium iron phosphate battery is better than that of ternary lithium battery.

The backup time of UPS using lithium battery is 2-3 times longer than that of UPS using lead-acid battery, thus reducing the number of battery replacement and labor cost. Ups with lithium-ion battery has smaller volume, lower weight, space saving and improved location flexibility. Some products of Unipower have lithium-ion batteries. They includeDC UPS ECO series, NPS series and ECOPUTER series. We also have standby UPS VX series with built-in lithium battery. Please feel free to contact us for more info.

Foshan Unipower Electronic CO., LTD

20 years of experience in developing and manufacturing UPS, inverter and AVR products.

Oversea dept.

Tel:86-757-82782288

Fax:86-757-82962330

Email:sales@svcpower.com

Address：Block 7, No.115, 1st Zhangcha Road, Foshan, Guangdong, P.R.China