At a time when the wave of technology is sweeping the world, lithium batteries have long become the "energy code" that changes life! From mobile phones at your fingertips to electric cars, from giant energy storage power stations to precision aviation equipment, lithium batteries are everywhere, injecting surging power into modern life.
Do you know how lithium batteries work? Simply put, lithium batteries rely on the "round trip movement" of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes to achieve charging and discharging. When charging, lithium ions are deintercalated from the positive electrode and embedded in the negative electrode through the electrolyte; when discharging, lithium ions move in the opposite direction and return to the positive electrode. It is this unique mechanism that gives lithium batteries many advantages: ultra-high energy density (up to 460-600wh/kg, 6-7 times that of lead-acid batteries), ultra-long life (lithium iron phosphate batteries can reach 10,000 cycles at 1C charge and discharge), high voltage (single cell 3.7v or 3.2v), etc.
In the lithium battery family, ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries can be called "twin stars". Ternary lithium batteries use nickel-cobalt-manganese or nickel-cobalt-aluminum as positive electrode materials, with extremely high energy density, which can easily exceed 300Wh/kg. In the field of electric vehicles, it allows the vehicle to easily exceed 600 kilometers, completely eliminating the mileage anxiety for users; and it has excellent low-temperature performance, even in the severe cold of minus 20℃, it can maintain strong power, which is the preferred choice for car owners in the north. Lithium iron phosphate batteries stand out with their ultra-high safety and strong thermal stability. Even if they are punctured or squeezed, they are not easy to catch fire or explode. At the same time, the cycle life is very long, and the charge and discharge can reach more than 4,000 times. The cost is 20%-30% lower than that of ternary lithium batteries. It has shown its prowess in energy storage power stations, electric buses and other fields, and is also a popular choice for car companies such as Tesla and BYD.
The application of lithium batteries continues to expand: in the field of consumer electronics, it supports the ultra-long battery life of mobile phones and computers; in the field of electric vehicles, it promotes the green travel revolution; in the field of energy storage, it "takes" solar energy and wind energy into its pocket to achieve peak-shaving and valley-filling of electricity.
Although lithium batteries have made remarkable achievements, scientific research and exploration will never stop. Scientists focus on material innovation, optimize the structure of the negative electrode to improve low-temperature performance, and develop new positive electrode materials to break through the bottleneck of energy density; at the same time, they actively explore new systems such as solid-state lithium batteries. The "Lithium Life" team of Shandong University of Science and Technology has overcome the problem of recycling "retired" lithium batteries, and the integrated environmental protection equipment developed by them has maximized both recycling efficiency and environmental protection level!
Musk bluntly said that "lithium batteries are the new oil", and giants have rushed to grab lithium resources. In the future, with the iteration of technology, ternary and lithium iron phosphate batteries will continue to upgrade, and lithium batteries will also light up the future of green energy with more powerful performance.
