Lithium Ion Batteries: The Birth and the Role in the New Technology’s Energy Needs (Essay Sample)

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Lithium Ion Batteries: The Birth and the Role in the New Technology’s Energy Needs
Introduction and Background Information
In the 1980’s the world was experiencing advancement in technology. Devices such as video cameras, portable laptops, cell phones were being introduced into the market. Such devices required batteries that were both small and of very low weight. During that time, the available batteries that were rechargeable were lead-acid batteries and nickel-cadmium batteries. Other available batteries present at that time included nickel-metal hydride batteries which were still under development. However, all these batteries had several disadvantages, with the most obvious being that, they were big in size, and they were very heavy (Hasebe, Akio, 3). Therefore, the world needed a battery that is light, reachable and small.
`There are two main types of batteries, the disposable and the rechargeable. Also, batteries can be of two groups, for depending on the electrolyte employed; aqueous and non-aqueous. Disposable and aqueous battery are for example the dry cell, the disposable non-aqueous battery are for example metallic lithium battery. The reachable aqueous battery include lead-acid battery. Lithium-ion battery is in the group of secondary battery that is non-aqueous that is rechargeable.
All the other forms of batteries had different problems and disadvantages. The Aqueous rechargeable battery were having voltage that was small, limited to 1.5 volts. This was the voltage that the aqueous electrolyte started to disassociate through the process of electrolysis. Like many other batteries that had liquid electrolyte, it was not easy to provide a bigger voltage because the voltage was depending on size. The other kind of battery, the non-aqueous electrolyte produced much more power, over 3 volts (Yoshizawa, Hiroshi and Tsutomu Ohzuku, 34, 37). It was possible for increasing size and voltage. This was the birth of metallic lithium battery.
The lithium ion battery was the now produced under non-aqueous electrolyte with metal lithium as the negative-electrode material (Hasebe, Akio, 4). Steps were being made to make the lithium ion battery into secondary battery. But there were several challenges. One, lithium was easy forming precipitation on the negative electrode, when it was put to charge making it dangerous since it was easy to short-circuit. Two, lithium was very reactive was going to produce poor battery in terms of how long the battery will last, because of some side reaction that lithium does. The thermal run-way reaction was very easy to happen when it comes to lithium metal, this was a big challenge.
However, the focus to produce a practical secondary battery was still alive. A small, light battery was still in the mind of the scientists. In early 1980s, the first lithium battery was born. The prototype being completed in 1986 (The Battery University, p4). This battery was the first practical non-electrolyte battery that was produced at the time. The lithium battery was described as, “a non-aqueous battery that used transition metal oxides that contained lithium ion like LiCoO2 in the positive electrode and carbonaceous material electrode.
Discussion
The Lithium-ion Pack
Picture of lithium-ion Pack (Brian, Marshal)
The battery comes in all forms of shape and sizes. They may look like they do not look alike, but inside, they work the same. When you take it apart, there are notable things. The lithium ion battery can be of any shape, cylindrical like dry cell, or square, and rectangle (Takami, 7). They have a temperature sensor that observers the battery temperature. Also, there is a rectangle circuit and a voltage regulators that is able to make sure that the level of volts and current do not get very high (Hasebe, Akio, 4). There is also a notebook connector that make sure that the power that get into the battery is shielded. The amount of energy that is in the battery is monitored by a voltage tap (Takami, 8). And lastly, the battery can have a charge state monitor that is small in size and make the battery charge quickly and fast.
When the battery gets too hot while charging, charge state makes the computer, or device shut down. Even when you put in hot environment the device will refuse to power up until all the things cool down. When there is no power in the battery it will shut down since the battery cells will be ruined. The number of charge and discharge cycle enables a device such as a laptop to tell the motherboard how much energy is left in the battery which is displayed. When idle, the charge monitor can enable the battery to lose power (Takami, 7). Every month, a lithium-ion battery is able to lose 5% of power.
The Lithium-Ion Cell
Picture of Lithium-ion Cell (Brian, Marshal)
The inside of the pack a battery. Inside the metal case, a pressurized battery is kept. The metal case has a vent hole that is very sensitive to pressure. When the battery is getting hot, it can blow up, and therefore the hole helps to remove the excess pressure. The hole also make sure the Positive Temperature Coefficient is kept in checked, therefore the battery is prevented from overheating.
A battery has a long spiral that has three thin sheets that are close to one another. One sheet is the electrode, the second is the negative electrode and between the two of them is a separator. When inside the case, the sheets are submerged in some solvent, that is organic, to act as electrolyte. In many batteries the liquid is Ether. The separator is thin sheet of plastic with tiny holes in it. This hoses can allow ion to pass but prevent the positive and negative electrode from touching.
How they Work
The positive electrode is made up of Lithium cobalt oxide, LiCoO2, and the negative electrode is made of carbon. When the battery is charging, the ions move to go to electrolytes from the positive electrode to the negative electrode, and touch the carbon (Tobishima, Shin-ichi 135). When the battery is discharging, the lithium ions go to the LiCoO2 from the carbon.
The lithium ions move at very high speed, and then very high voltage to each cell produces the 3.7 volts. This is very high when compare to 1.5 volts that is normal for battery like AA alkaline cell. This makes it possible to have the battery to be placed in cell phones; more power, smaller size (Tobishima, Shin-ichi, 136). The shapes are made to fit in any bigger devices that may need much more power like laptops.
The cell reaction that happens in the cell is not like a chemical transformation. This makes it possible to the battery to be stable over a long time of service (Tobishima, Shin-ichi, 137). The long duration of power reduce the side reaction making it an excellent storage battery. In addition to that, it is easy to manufacture the battery because the LiCoO2 is stable in air. And, the negative electrode is made of carbon material which is also stable.
The chemical reaction.
Concerns
There have been cases that the lithium ion battery have exploded in their devices, causing injuries to people. This happens when the battery becomes very hot, and explode (Yoshizawa, Hiroshi and Tsutomu Ohzuku, 4). The fire comes from a short circuit inside the battery. From the discussion, we have seen that there is a thin sheet that is called the separator that separate negative and positive. When something happen to the sheet and it get damaged, the battery starts to get hot very fast.
When the separator is having problem, the lithium ion battery short circuit. And because the battery is full of much energy, they become hot, very hot. The heat make the battery to dry the liquid inside that is the electrode (Yoshizawa, Hiroshi and Tsutomu Ohzuku, 9). The heat becomes too much and start burning the inside of the battery to start the fire. And the battery causes the burning of devices and the person near the device.
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