Lithium-ion polymer batteries, polymer lithium ion, or more commonly lithium polymer batteries (abbreviated Li-poly, Li-Pol, LiPo, LIP, PLI or LiP) are rechargeable batteries (secondary cell batteries). Normally batteries are composed of several identical secondary cells in parallel addition to increase the discharge current capability.
Lithium-ion batteries have taken over the portable electronics industry in the last few years. For every unit of energy they contain, they are lighter, cheaper, and smaller than other kinds of batteries. They don’t suffer from the ‘memory’ effect that gave nickel batteries a bad name, they contain relatively few toxic metals and are fairly simple to recycle.
But, in the last year, several battery makers pushed the limits of energy density in Li-ion batteries too far. Li-ion batteries use organic solvents to suspend the lithium ions. In situations where the structure of the battery is compromised, that solvent can ignite and vent from the pressurized battery. The result is a dangerous and toxic fireworks display you can see in a video at the end of this article.
In response to the dangers of packing more power into a Li-ion battery pack, portable electronics makers are turning to lithium polymer batteries. You might see it abbreviated as Li-Po (yes, like the Chinese poet) or Li-poly, or you might see it in it’s complete and extended form “lithium ion polymer batteries,” they all mean the same thing.
Lithium Polymer Battery Pros and Cons
Pros:
Flexible form factor – Lithium Polymer batteries can be manufactured in a wide range of shapes and sizes
Lightweight – Lithium Polymer batteries do not require the metal casings which are required by Lithium Ion batteries
Safe – The polymer electrolyte used in Lithium Polymer batteries is not flammable
Cons:
More expensive than Lithium Ion batteries
Slightly lower enery density than Lithium Ion batteries
Slightly lower cycles count than Lithium Ion batteries
Applications
A compelling advantage of Li-poly cells is that manufacturers can shape the battery almost however they please, which can be important to mobile phone manufacturers constantly working on smaller, thinner, and lighter phones.
3-Cell LiPo for RC-modelsLi-poly batteries are also gaining favor in the world of radio-controlled aircraft as well as radio-controlled cars, where the advantages of both lower weight and greatly increased run times can be sufficient justification for the price. Some airsoft gun owners have switched to LiPo batteries due to the above reasons and the increased rate of fire they provide. However, lithium polymer-specific chargers are required to avoid fire and explosion. Explosions can also occur if the battery is short-circuited, as tremendous current passes through the cell in an instant. Radio-control enthusiasts take special precautions to ensure their battery leads are properly connected and insulated. Furthermore fires can occur if the cell or pack is punctured. Radio-controlled car batteries are often protected by durable plastic cases to prevent puncture. Specially designed electronic motor speed controls are used to prevent excessive discharge and subsequent battery damage. This is achieved using a low voltage cutoff (LVC) setting that is adjusted to maintain cell voltage greater than (typically) 3 V per cell.
Li-poly batteries are also gaining ground in PDAs and laptop computers, such as Apple’s MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Macbook Air, Amazon’s Kindle, Lenovo’s Thinkpad X300 and Ultrabay Batteries, the OQO series of palmtops, the HP Mini and Dell products featuring D-bay batteries. They can be found in small digital music devices such as iPods and other MP3 players as well as gaming equipment like Sony’s Playstation 3 wireless controllers[2]. They are desirable in applications where small form factors and energy density outweigh cost considerations.
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