Lithium Polymer - The Very best Rechargeable Batteries?
Compared to other battery technologies, Lithium Polymer (also recognized as Lithium-ion Polymer or LiPo) is a relative newcomer to the marketplace. Born out of the necessity for greater capacity and decreased weight, the Lithium Polymer battery made its debut in 1996 following the technology was filed below patent (Patent Number 5645960) in early 1994. While Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technology has been well-liked with customers for a number of years, Lithium Polymer is only now starting to live up to its complete potential.
As nicely as gaining a strong foothold in the mobile and cell phone industries, the LiPo battery has quickly gained an superb reputation in the fields of model electric RC aircraft and also electric powered RC vehicles. Due to the battery's ability to offer a extremely higher current for prolonged periods its market share has risen by almost 7% in the previous 12 months regardless of the comparatively higher costs associated with not just the purchase of the cells but also with the charging devices and controllers required to make use of them.
The main disadvantage of the LiPo battery is the controlled atmosphere needed to charge these batteries safely. In contrast to NiMh which is capable of being charged at .1C (i.e. ten % of its capacity per hour) with no danger of overcharging or explosion, the LiPo battery demands continuous monitoring of both temperate, current and voltage by its charger in order to reach full capacity whilst remaining safe.
Whilst the vast majority of new laptop computer systems continue to be manufactured to incorporate Lithium-ion technology, specialists predict that over the next 24 months Lithium Polymer will account for approximately 15% of the laptop battery market. The purpose that the uptake of Lithium Polymer in laptops has not been faster is that the laptop will require significant design changes in order to disperse heat away from the battery compartment as even an increase of a couple of degrees will degrade the life of a Lithium Polymer battery significantly.
