Lithium ion polymer battery- the preferred choice because of low weight and high energy storage

Lithium ion batteries are extremely common these days and their immense popularity can be gauged from the fact that the majority of electronics like laptops, iPods, mobile phones and PDAs are equipped with these batteries. These batteries are so much in demand because they are the most highly rechargeable batteries in the market and they have a huge number of advantages over the other types of batteries.

Lithium ion batteries consist of electrodes which are made of lithium and carbon. Both elements are lightweight making these batteries much lighter than their counterparts. These batteries also possess very high density of energy because lithium is an extremely reactive element which means that plenty of energy gets to be stored in the atomic bonds of this element. For instance, a lithium ion battery will be able to store electricity worth 150 watt hours in a kilogram of battery. Whereas, on the other hand, a nickel-metal hydride or NiMH battery can only store up to 100 watt hours of energy in a kilogram although 60-70 watt hours may be closer to the true perspective  There is even more of a difference in the case of a lead-acid battery as this battery can only store up to 25 watt hours in 1 kilogram. This translates into a much more heavier and less storage battery since a 6 kilogram of lead acid battery will be required to store the amount of energy which can be accommodated in a 1 kilogram of a lithium ion battery. This huge difference is nothing to be sneezed at and hence the tremendous popularity of lithium ion batteries.

Lithium ion battery packs lose a mere 5% of their charge every month which is very little when compared to the 20% loss in a NiMH battery. These also have no memory and hence they need not be discharged totally before getting recharged as is the case in some other types of batteries. Lithium ion battery manufacturer claim that innumerable charge/discharge cycles running into hundreds can be handled by such batteries. These packs can be quite expensive  so, to make the most of it, one should be careful to discharge it partially and not fully as the chemistry of lithium ion is more compatible with this. Also, lithium ion batteries age and even if they are not used, they will not last for more than two to three years. So, it is better to use these batteries rather than keep saving them and only the latest lithium ion battery packs should be bought. Heat should be avoided since the batteries get spoil.

Along with lithium ion batteries, lithium ion polymer battery is also seeing its share of popular demand. Although there is really not much to distinguish between the two, the lithium ion polymer battery has a unique micro porous electrolyte instead of the usual porous separator. This enhances the conductivity resulting in slighter higher density of energy.

Lithium ion batteries have become the preferred choice of all electronic goods including hand held devices because of their high energy density and lighter weight.