IOT

What is a Lithium-Polymer Battery?

When we go shopping for our much-awaited gadgets, we always check on the battery capacity and whether it has a great battery life or not. We’ve always considered certain factors when we are choosing Battery.

 Right now, there are two main types of batteries available on the market. One is Li-ion batteries, which have long been a part of our smartphones and other portable devices. Lithium Polymer batteries, on the other hand, are now found in most current electronics and most of the new flagship models. In this blog, we are discussing the Lithium Polymer Battery, its working, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Applications in detail.

What is a Lithium Polymer Battery?

A lithium polymer battery, or more precisely a lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly, and others), is a lithium-ion rechargeable battery using a polymer electrolyte rather than a liquid electrolyte. They’re also lightweight, have a low profile, and have a lower risk of electrolyte leakage. However, Li-Po batteries aren’t perfect because they’re more expensive to make and don’t have the same energy density or lifespan as lithium-ion batteries.

Because of their soft shells, lithium-polymer batteries are lighter and more flexible than conventional lithium-ion batteries, allowing them to be employed in mobile and other electronic devices, as well as remote control vehicles.

Basics of Lithium Polymer Technology

The lithium-polymer battery differs from other types of lithium-ion batteries in terms of the electrolyte it employs, which is a polymer in this case. A gel is used in modern lithium-polymer electrolytes, which allows for high conductivity at room temperature. A microporous separator is also used in the majority of these batteries. Instead of the more common porous separator used with ordinary types, the lithium polymer battery requires a microporous separator.

Most lithium-ion battery technologies can be used with the lithium polymer approach: lithium cobalt, lithium phosphate, lithium manganese, and so on. In this context, lithium polymer technology is not considered a separate battery technology, but rather an enhancement to the types of lithium-ion batteries that are already available. The only difference between the anode and cathode materials utilized in this method is the electrolyte and separator, however, the same amount of electrolyte is usually used.

Since the charge and discharge characteristics of lithium polymer cells are identical to those of normal types, they can be charged using standard methods. USB power sources are frequently utilized for items such as power banks, but the internal charging electronics hardware regulates the operation – the same circuitry may typically be used.

Construction & Working

Different manufacturing methods are used for lithium polymer batteries and cells. Traditional lithium-ion batteries mostly use cylindrical cells or ‘prismatic’ cells in a box form.

Lithium polymer cells are packaged in a foil pouch shape, which has been compared to chewing gum packaging. These can be manufactured a lot thinner than the usual ones. This is particularly appealing to many manufacturers that are continuously looking for methods to make their products thinner, such as laptops and phones.

The lithium-polymer batteries have a foil-type casing with laminated sheets within. This allows the batteries to be made much lighter – in fact, weight savings of up to 20% or more are common.

LiPos, like other lithium-ion batteries, work on the idea of lithium ions intercalating and de-intercalating between a positive electrode and a negative electrode, with the liquid electrolyte acting as a conducting medium. A microporous separator is placed between the electrodes to prevent them from immediately contacting. This allows only the ions, not the electrode particles, to migrate from one side to the other.

Advantages:

  • Safety performance is good
  • More thin thickness, and can do more thin
  • Light-weight
  • Big capacity
  • Small internal impedance
  • Shape can be customized
  • Better discharge characteristic

Disadvantages

  • Compared with lithium-ion batteries energy density and cycle number are falling
  • Cost higher
  • There is no standard shape, most battery manufacturing for the high volume consumer market
  • Compared with lithium-ion batteries, the price and energy is higher

Applications of Lithium Polymer Battery

LiPo batteries are pervasive in 

  • Mobile devices, power banks, very thin laptop computers, portable media players, wireless controllers for video game consoles, wireless PC peripherals, electronic cigarettes
  •  Radio-controlled equipment and aircraft
  • Electric vehicles
  • Uninterruptible power supply systems
  • Jumpstarter

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