Development of High Energy Density and High Reliability Li-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely used mainly for lap-top PC, cellular phones, and DSC applications as they have high energy density. Rising of environmental awareness, lithium-ion batteries are expected to be applied to high-power applications and electric energy storage use. For EV and household electric energy storage applications, longer calendar life is necessary compare to the conventional usage. Batteries are subjected to be stored at high state of charge (SOC), and used in wide range of SOC during charge-discharge cycles. Panasonic launched the lithium-ion battery with graphite anode and nickel-based cathode in 2006. The battery has the energy density of 620Wh/dm (18650-type 2.9Ah cylindrical cell).[1] Recently, Panasonic commercialized a higher capacity 3.1Ah lithium-ion battery with graphite anode and nickel-based cathode. The battery has the high energy density of 675Wh/dm. [2] These batteries with nickel-based cathode show long-life performance.