Lithium-ion battery

A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of <a href="/facts/Rechargeable_battery/A6zUkPkW">rechargeable battery</a> that uses the reversible <a href="/facts/Intercalation_(chemistry)/YsayFumX">intercalation</a> of Li+ ions into electronically <a href="/facts/Electrical_conductor/BSuyupLP">conducting</a> solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher <a href="/facts/Specific_energy/zVRhSxPh">specific energy</a>, higher <a href="/facts/Energy_density/mwBXA7bC">energy density</a>, higher <a href="/facts/Energy_efficiency_(physics)/gSqXlWoI">energy efficiency</a>, a longer <a href="/facts/Cycle_life/vMWrb3q9">cycle life</a>, and a longer calendar life, in comparison to other types of rechargeable batteries. Also noteworthy is a dramatic improvement in lithium-ion battery properties after their market introduction in 1991; over the following 30 years, their volumetric energy density increased threefold while their cost dropped tenfold. In late 2024 global demand passed 1 <a href="/facts/Kilowatt-hour/qvVkEmPH">terawatt-hour</a> per year, while production capacity was more than twice that.
The invention and commercialization of Li-ion batteries <a href="/facts/Timeline_of_historic_inventions/Wsa2pNfV">has had a large impact on technology</a>, as recognized by the 2019 <a href="/facts/Nobel_Prize_in_Chemistry/8Nb8Ajjy">Nobel Prize in Chemistry</a>.
Li-ion batteries enabled portable <a href="/facts/Consumer_electronics/cJ8g9NXh">consumer electronics</a>, <a href="/facts/Laptop_computers/3EFwTAb2">laptop computers</a>, <a href="/facts/Cellular_phones/H3EcqD9h">cellular phones</a>, and <a href="/facts/Electric_cars/agINmGGQ">electric cars</a>. Li-ion batteries also see significant use for <a href="/facts/Battery_storage_power_station/mGVRuDGc">grid-scale energy storage</a> as well as military and aerospace applications.
<a href="/facts/M._Stanley_Whittingham/TVazx2vK">M. Stanley Whittingham</a> conceived intercalation electrodes in the 1970s and created the first rechargeable lithium-ion battery, based on a <a href="/facts/Titanium_disulfide/dT6VxH16">titanium disulfide</a> cathode and a lithium-aluminium anode, although it suffered from safety problems and was never commercialized. <a href="/facts/John_Goodenough/sq24M85o">John Goodenough</a> expanded on this work in 1980 by using <a href="/facts/Lithium_cobalt_oxide/0rFGLfCs">lithium cobalt oxide</a> as a cathode. The first prototype of the modern Li-ion battery, which uses a carbonaceous anode rather than lithium metal, was developed by <a href="/facts/Akira_Yoshino/T1AdMTtz">Akira Yoshino</a> in 1985 and commercialized by a <a href="/facts/Sony/7x4tCtBd">Sony</a> and <a href="/facts/Asahi_Kasei/6suGrYpQ">Asahi Kasei</a> team led by Yoshio Nishi in 1991. Whittingham, Goodenough, and Yoshino were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire or explosion hazard as they contain flammable electrolytes. Progress has been made in the development and manufacturing of safer lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion <a href="/facts/Solid-state_battery/K4Sb5ylA">solid-state batteries</a> are being developed to eliminate the flammable electrolyte. <a href="/facts/Battery_recycling/EpvRn1ev">Recycled batteries</a> can create toxic waste, including from toxic metals, and are a fire risk. Both <a href="/facts/Lithium/7vXX6BWA">lithium</a> and other minerals can have significant issues in mining, with lithium being water intensive in often arid regions and other minerals used in some Li-ion chemistries potentially being <a href="/facts/Conflict_resource/SKDqsokS">conflict minerals</a> such as <a href="/facts/Cobalt/gqhScEw4">cobalt</a>. <a href="/facts/Environmental_impacts_of_lithium-ion_batteries/4eo5jDMS">Environmental issues</a> have encouraged some researchers to improve mineral efficiency and find alternatives such as <a href="/facts/Lithium_iron_phosphate/fVT7FLQx">lithium iron phosphate</a> lithium-ion chemistries or non-lithium-based battery chemistries such as <a href="/facts/Sodium-ion_battery/yUxV3Isq">sodium-ion</a> and <a href="/facts/Iron-air_battery/P19rjpyH">iron-air</a> batteries.
"Li-ion battery" can be considered a generic term involving at least 12 different chemistries; see <a href="/facts/List_of_battery_types/xhL4zfRu">List of battery types</a>. Lithium-ion cells can be manufactured to optimize energy density or power density. Handheld electronics mostly use <a href="/facts/Lithium_polymer_battery/0I2uusoW">lithium polymer batteries</a> (with a polymer gel as an electrolyte), a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) cathode material, and a <a href="/facts/Graphite/sSf3KMXr">graphite</a> anode, which together offer high energy density. <a href="/facts/Lithium_iron_phosphate/fVT7FLQx">Lithium iron phosphate</a> (LiFePO4), <a href="/facts/Lithium_ion_manganese_oxide_battery/oB7gENnR">lithium manganese oxide</a> (LiMn2O4 <a href="/facts/Spinel/Nb7K5ctV">spinel</a>, or Li2MnO3-based lithium-rich layered materials, LMR-NMC), and <a href="/facts/Lithium_nickel_manganese_cobalt_oxide/IkSC3PKd">lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide</a> (LiNiMnCoO2 or NMC) may offer longer life and a higher discharge rate. NMC and its derivatives are widely used in the <a href="/facts/Electrification_of_transport/jhCbx5ur">electrification of transport</a>, one of the main technologies (combined with <a href="/facts/Renewable_energy/6Bu6IrpF">renewable energy</a>) for reducing <a href="/facts/Greenhouse_gas_emissions/Cu9nXPHE">greenhouse gas emissions</a> from vehicles.

Lithium-ion battery open-in-new

Lithium-ion battery