Storage is essential to ensure we can get the most out of energy sources. Devices capable of storing energy have evolved over time, and one of the best systems is lithium-ion batteries.
They are easily recharged and can store a large amount of energy, which list of zambia consumer email has boosted their use in items as diverse as mobile phones, electric cars and photovoltaic systems. But what is a Li-Ion battery really? Let's look at it in more detail so you can better understand how it works.
Lithium ion, what is it?
As we said before, among the energy storage systems that we can use today, lithium-ion batteries stand out .
The lithium ion refers to the positive lithium ion that is represented by the chemical symbol Li and the atomic number 3, which allows us to classify it as a chemical element that is part of the group of alkaline metals.
It is a soft and light metal, silver in color. It is characterized by being highly reactive, especially with water, forming lithium hydroxide and hydrogen.
It was discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson, who identified it as a component of the mineral petalite. This metal was isolated in the 19th century, but at first it was not given much importance due to its high reactivity and because its production cost was high.
As technology and electronics advanced, people began to research new ways to store energy more efficiently, and that's when lithium ion began to gain popularity.
And the rechargeable batteries arrived
In the 1970s, advances were made that led to rapid development of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, such as the use of metal oxides such as cobalt in the cathode, to improve the energy density of these batteries.
It was in 1991 that Sony launched the first commercial lithium-ion battery, revolutionizing the electronics industry by paving the way for creating lighter, longer-lasting mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices.
Today, batteries based on this metal are very common in consumer electronics such as mobile phones and tablets, but also in electric cars and medical devices such as pacemakers.