Lithium Battery - Chemistries

Chemistries

Chemistry Cathode Electrolyte Nominal voltage Open-circuit voltage Wh/kg Wh/dm3
Li-MnO2 (Li-Mn, "CR") Heat-treated manganese dioxide Lithium perchlorate in propylene carbonate and dimethoxyethane 3 V 3.3 V 280 580
The most common consumer grade battery, about 80% of the lithium battery market. Uses inexpensive materials. Suitable for low-drain, long-life, low-cost applications. High energy density per both mass and volume. Can deliver high pulse currents. Wide temperature range. With discharge the internal impedance rises and the terminal voltage decreases. Maximum temperature limited to about 60 °C. High self-discharge at high temperatures.
Li-SOCl2 Thionyl chloride Lithium tetrachloroaluminate in thionyl chloride 3.5 V 3.65 V 500 1200
Liquid cathode. For low temperature applications. Can operate down to −55 °C, where it retains over 50% of its rated capacity. Negligible amount of gas generated in nominal use, limited amount under abuse. Has relatively high internal impedance and limited short-circuit current. High energy density, about 500 Wh/kg. Toxic. Electrolyte reacts with water. Low-current cells used for portable electronics and memory backup. High-current cells used in military applications. In long storage forms passivation layer on anode, which may lead to temporary voltage delay when put into service. High cost and safety concerns limit use in civilian applications. Can explode when shorted. Underwriters Laboratories require trained technician for replacement of these batteries. Hazardous waste, Class 9 Hazmat shipment.
Li-SOCl2,BrCl, Li-BCX Thionyl chloride with bromine chloride Lithium tetrachloroaluminate in thionyl chloride 3.7-3.8 V 3.9 V 350 770
Liquid cathode. A variant of the thionyl chloride battery, with 300 mV higher voltage. The higher voltage drops back to 3.5 V soon as the bromine chloride gets consumed during the first 10-20% of discharge. The cells with added bromine chloride are thought to be safer when abused.
Li-SO2Cl2 Sulfuryl chloride 3.7 3.95 330 720
Liquid cathode. Similar to thionyl chloride. Discharge does not result in buildup of elemental sulfur, which is thought to be involved in some hazardous reactions, therefore sulfuryl chloride batteries may be safer. Commercial deployment hindered by tendency of the electrolyte to corrode the lithium anodes, reducing the shelf life. Chlorine is added to some cells to make them more resistant to abuse. Sulfuryl chloride cells give less maximum current than thionyl chloride ones, due to polarization of the carbon cathode. Sulfuryl chloride reacts violently with water, releasing hydrogen chloride and sulfuric acid.
Li-SO2 Sulfur dioxide on teflon-bonded carbon Lithium bromide in sulfur dioxide with small amount of acetonitrile 2.85 V 3.0 V 250 400
Liquid cathode. Can operate down to −55 °C and up to +70 °C. Contains liquid SO2 at high pressure. Requires safety vent, can explode in some conditions. High energy density. High cost. At low temperatures and high currents performs better than Li-MnO2. Toxic. Acetonitrile forms lithium cyanide, and can form hydrogen cyanide in high temperatures. Used in military applications.

Addition of bromine monochloride can boost the voltage to 3.9 V and increase energy density.
Li-(CF)x ("BR") Carbon monofluoride Lithium tetrafluoroborate in propylene carbonate, dimethoxyethane, and/or gamma-butyrolactone 2.8 V 3.1 V 360 680
Cathode material formed by high-temperature intercalation of fluorine gas into graphite powder. High energy density (250 Wh/kg), 7 year shelf life. Used for low to moderate current applications in memory and clock backup batteries. Very good safety record. Used in aerospace applications, qualified for space since 1976. Used in military applications both terrestrial and marine, and in missiles. Also used in cardiac pacemakers. Maximum temperature 85 °C. Very low self-discharge (<0.5%/year at 60 °C, <1%/yr at 85 °C). Developed in 1970s by Matsushita.
Li-I2 Iodine that has been mixed and heated with poly-2-vinylpyridine (P2VP)to form a solid organic charge transfer complex. a solid monomolecular layer of crystalline Lithium iodide that conducts lithium ions from the anode to the cathode but does not conduct Iodine. 2.8 V 3.1 V
Solid electrolyte. Very high reliability and low self discharge rate. Used in medical applications that need a long life. Does not generate gas even under short circuit. Solid-state chemistry, limited short-circuit current, suitable only for low-current applications. Terminal voltage decreases with degree of discharge due to precipitation of lithium iodide.
Li-Ag2CrO4 Silver chromate Lithium perchlorate solution 3.1/2.6 V 3.45 V
Very high reliability. Has a 2.6 V plateau after reaching certain percentage of discharge, provides early warning of impending discharge. Developed specifically for medical applications, for example, implanted pacemakers.
Li-Ag2V4O11, Li-SVO, Li-CSVO Silver oxide+vanadium pentoxide (SVO) lithium hexafluorophosphate or lithium hexafluoroarsenate in propylene carbonate with dimethoxyethane
Used in medical applications, like implantable defibrillators, neurostimulators, and drug infusion systems. Also projected for use in other electronics, such as emergency locator transmitters. High energy density. Long shelf life. Capable of continuous operation at nominal temperature of 37 °C. Two-stage discharge with a plateau. Output voltage decreasing proportionally to the degree of discharge. Resistant to abuse.

Addition of copper(II) oxide to the cathode material results in the Li-CSVO variant.
Li-CuO Copper(II) oxide Lithium Perchlorate dissolved in Dioxolane 1.5 V 2.4 V
Can operate up to 150 °C. Developed as a replacement of zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries. "Voltage up" problem, high difference between open-circuit and nominal voltage. Produced until mid-1990s, replaced by lithium-iron sulfide. Current use limited.
Li-Cu4O(PO4)2 Copper oxyphosphate
See Li-CuO
Li-CuS Copper sulfide 1.5 V
Li-PbCuS Lead sulfide and copper sulfide 1.5 V 2.2 V
Li-FeS Iron sulfide Propylene carbonate, dioxolane, dimethoxyethane 1.5-1.2 V
"Lithium-iron", "Li/Fe". used as a replacement for alkaline batteries. See lithium — iron disulfide.
Li-FeS2 Iron disulfide Propylene carbonate, dioxolane, dimethoxyethane 1.6-1.4 V 1.8 V 297
"Lithium-iron", "Li/Fe". Used in Energizer lithium cells as a replacement for alkaline zinc-manganese chemistry. Called "voltage-compatible" lithiums. 2.5 times higher lifetime for high current discharge regime than alkaline batteries, better storage life due to lower self-discharge, 10 years storage time. FeS2 is cheap. Cathode often designed as a paste of iron sulfide powder mixed with powdered graphite. Variant is Li-CuFeS2.
Li-Bi2Pb2O5 Lead bismuthate 1.5 V 1.8 V
Replacement of silver-oxide batteries, with higher energy density, lower tendency to leak, and better performance at higher temperatures.
Li-Bi2O3 Bismuth trioxide 1.5 V 2.04 V
Li-V2O5 Vanadium pentoxide 3.3/2.4 V 3.4 V 120/260 300/660
Two discharge plateaus. Low-pressure. Rechargeable. Used in reserve batteries.
Li-CoO2 Lithium cobalt oxide
Li-NiCoO2 Lithium nickel cobalt oxide
Li-CuCl2 Copper chloride LiAlCl4 or LiGaCl4 in SO2, a liquid, inorganic, non-aqueous electrolyte.
Rechargeable. This cell has three voltage plateaus as it discharges (3.3V, 2.9V and 2.5V). Discharging below the first plateau reduces the life of the cell. The complex salt dissolved in SO2 has a lower vapor pressure at room temperature than pure sulfur dioxide making the construction simpler and safer than Li-SO2 batteries.
Li/Al-MnO2 Manganese dioxide
Rechargeable.
Li/Al-V2O5 Vanadium pentoxide
Rechargeable.
Li–air (Lithium–air battery) porous carbon organic, aqueous, glass-ceramic (polymer-ceramic composites) 1800-660 1600-600
Rechargeable. No commercial implementation is available as of 2012 due to difficulties in achieving multiple discharge cycles without losing capacity. There are multiple possible implementations, each having different energy capacities, advantages and disadvantages.

The liquid organic electrolyte is a solution of an ion-forming inorganic lithium compound in a mixture of a high-permittivity solvent (propylene carbonate) and a low-viscosity solvent (dimethoxyethane).

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