The positive electrode of Li-ion batteries is made of lithium iron phosphate. Lithium-iron-phosphate comes with significant advantages in terms of safety, performance, and lifecycle. A 1C LiFePo4 roughly gives around 2000 charging and discharging cycles. Why safe? It’s because the puncture does not explode that easily when overcharged. The lithium iron phosphate cathode facilitates the use of large-capacity lithium-ion batteries in series.
LiFePo4 Zellen refers to the batteries using lithium iron phosphate as a positive electrode material. Apart from iron phosphate, the electrode materials can include lithium cobaltate, lithium magnate, lithium nickelate, and other ternary compounds. Lithium cobaltate is one of the most commonly used materials for making the positive electrode. The major advantages a LiFePo4 battery offers are discussed in the following points below:
- Good charging and discharging efficiency
LiFePo4 batteries are mainly used as power batteries and offer several advantages over Ni-MH and Ni-Cd batteries. The charge-discharge efficiency of this kind of battery can reach over 90% under the condition of discharge. Whereas, the lead-acid battery only offers around 80%.
- A longer life cycle
The lead-acid battery is known to have a long life but has a cycle life of only 300 and the number can be pushed to 500 if the product is of supreme quality. On the other hand, a basic LiFePo4 zellen offers a cycle life of more than 2000 times. A lead-acid battery degrades very swiftly, so much so, that it will feel like a new product for only a half year. For the rest half of the year, its performance degrades significantly and it needs regular maintenance. But if the LiFePo4 battery is used under the same conditions, its lifetime can extend up to 7 years.
Although the performance-price ratio is greater than 4x than that of lead-acid batteries. The discharge rate is greater in the case of 2C batteries. 1.5C charging can fully charge a LiFePo4 battery within 1.5 minutes. But lead-acid batteries don’t offer fast charging and discharging rate.
- Temperature performance
Lithium iron phosphate can operate in a wide temperature range which is why the batteries are compatible with the devices that need to operate in extreme heat or in extreme cold. Also, devices that run in extreme weather conditions need the durability of a LiFePo4 battery.
- Higher capacity
Lead-acid batteries were the product of a generation back. The higher capacity of a LiFePo4 battery helped the electronic devices reach new possibilities. The monomer capacity of lithium iron phosphate batteries starts from 5AH and can go up to 1000AH.
- Safety
Batteries have successfully built a reputation for exploding randomly. Any product that offers a lower chance of explosion is extremely valuable to consumers. The P—O bond in LiFePo4 crystals is pretty stable which makes the compound difficult to decompose and it does not collapse very easily like lithium cobaltate. And it doesn’t form strong oxidizing substances even at high temperatures and in the event of an overcharge.
Under heavy current drawing conditions, a part of the sample was witnessed. The sample was experiencing a burn but it didn’t explode. In an overcharge experiment, a high-voltage charge was induced and an explosive phenomenon was noticed. But over the years, the overcharge safety has been greatly improved to make the battery safe and reliable.
- No memory effect
In reality, rechargeable batteries are not fully discharged before they are plugged in. For this reason, the capacity quickly plunges below the rated capacity. This phenomenon is known as the memory effect. This memory effect is a characteristic of nickel-metal hydride and nickel-cadmium batteries but the LiFePo4 Zellen is free of this effect. Hence, consumers can charge their devices at their convenience without worrying about fully discharging the battery.
- Lightweight champion
The LiFePo4 batteries are not exactly light in terms of weight. It’s because of the high power density of the product, the LiFePO4 Lithium Batterien are relatively small and light than other kinds of batteries. In comparison to lead-acid batteries, they offer double the energy density at half the mass. If you need big power in a small package, LiFePo4 batteries are the product you’re looking for.
- Environmental-friendly
A LiFePo4 battery is considered to be free of heavy and rare metals. This makes it a non-polluting and non-toxic product and in the eyes of European RoHS, it’s a green battery. So, environmental-friendly is one of the main reasons why these batteries are the most popular choice.
With China’s accession to the WTO, the amount of export of e-bikes will increase rapidly. Electric bikes are one of the most-used power-hungry products that strictly need a green battery.
Lifepo4 batteries are non-toxic, non-polluting, reliable enough, low priced, and have a long life. It is an ideal cathode material that works wonders for a new generation of lithium-ion batteries.
