Lithium batteries

The term "lithium battery" refers to a family of different chemistries, comprising many types of cathodes and electrolytes. The battery requires from 0.15 to 0.3 kg of lithium per kWh.

The most common type of lithium cell used in consumer applications uses metallic lithium as anode and manganese dioxide as cathode, with a salt of lithium dissolved in an organic solvent.

Another type of lithium cell having a large energy density is the lithium-thionyl chloride cell. Invented by Adam Heller, Lithium-thionyl chloride batteries are generally not sold to the consumer market, and find more use in commercial/industrial applications, or are installed into devices where the consumer does not replace them. The cell contains a liquid mixture of thionyl chloride (SOCl₂) and lithium tetrachloroaluminate (LiAlCl

 which act as the cathode and electrolyte, respectively. A porous carbon material serves as a cathode current collector which receives electrons from the external circuit. Lithium-thionyl chloride batteries are well suited to extremely low-current applications where long life is necessary, such as wireless alarm systems.

They stand apart from other batteries in their high charge density (long life) and high cost per unit. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V (comparable to a zinc–carbon or alkaline battery) to about 3.7 V.

By comparison, lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries in which lithium ions move between the anode and the cathode, using anintercalated lithium compound as the electrode material instead of the metallic lithium used in lithium batteries.

Lithium batteries are widely used in products such as portable consumer electronic devices.