Lithium-ion batteries are a type of battery that uses lithium metal or lithium alloys as the positive/negative electrode material and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. The earliest lithium metal battery was proposed and researched by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1912. In the 1970s, M. S. Whittingham proposed and began researching lithium-ion batteries. Due to the highly reactive chemical properties of lithium metal, its processing, storage, and use require very strict environmental controls. With the development of science and technology, lithium batteries have become mainstream.
Lithium-ion batteries can be broadly classified into two categories: lithium metal batteries and lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries do not contain metallic lithium and are rechargeable. The fifth generation of rechargeable batteries, the lithium metal battery, was developed in 1996, and its safety, specific capacity, self-discharge rate, and performance-price ratio are superior to lithium-ion batteries. Due to its high technical requirements, only companies in a few countries produce this type of lithium metal battery.
