Tuesday, 16 December 2014

Understanding Lithium Metal Batteries

Lithium batteries are small enough to fit in the underside of your watch.


Lithium batteries are those most often found in small, portable devices, such as watches. The small size of the lithium battery paired with its long life make it perfect for devices that are used every day, and important devices that cannot risk failure, such as pacemakers. In a lithium metal battery, the anode is metallic lithium and the cathode is most often manganese dioxide. Does this Spark an idea?


Anode


As with all batteries, current flows into the battery through the anode. With a lithium battery, the current flows in through the metallic lithium. A solvent acts as a separator between the anode and the cathode. The separator in a metal lithium battery is lithium salt.


Cathode


Manganese dioxide is heat-treated to act as a cathode in a lithium metal battery. As with all batteries, the current flows out through the cathode after flowing in through the anode. Other possible cathodes in lithium metal batteries include liquid thionyl chloride and sulfuryl chloride. Together, the anode and cathode create polarity and allow the current to flow steadily into and out of the battery.


Specifications


The chemicals and solvents in metal lithium batteries create specific chemical reactions within the battery. While in use, the energy of metal lithium batteries drains more slowly than other types of batteries. Lithium batteries have the capability to deliver high-pulse currents and can withstand significant temperature change without accruing damage, affecting performance or draining excess energy.


Uses


You most likely own devices that contain lithium metal batteries. Watches, cell phones, portable music players, PDAs, digital cameras and calculators all contain lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are reliable, durable and rarely need replacement. Expensive devices, emergency devices and important devices subject to wear and tear typically employ lithium batteries for reliability. Lithium batteries are one of the only batteries suitable for emergency medical devices such as pacemakers, implantable defibrillators and other high-tech devices.

Tags: current flows, devices that, Lithium batteries, lithium battery, lithium metal, metal lithium