Lithium iron phosphate batteries
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are lithium-ion batteries that use lithium iron phosphate as the positive electrode material. Their key features include the absence of precious elements such as cobalt, low raw material costs, and abundant phosphorus and iron resources on Earth, eliminating supply issues. They offer moderate operating voltage (3.2V), high capacity per unit weight (170 mAh/g), high discharge power, fast charging capability, long cycle life, and high stability under high temperature and heat conditions.
Advantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries:
Compared to the more common lithium cobalt oxide and lithium manganese oxide batteries on the market, lithium iron phosphate batteries have at least five advantages: higher safety, longer lifespan, no heavy metals or rare metals (low raw material cost), support for fast charging, and a wide operating temperature range.
Disadvantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries:
Lithium iron phosphate has some performance defects, such as very low tap density and compaction density, resulting in low energy density of lithium-ion batteries; high material preparation cost and battery manufacturing cost; low battery yield and poor consistency; poor product consistency; and intellectual property issues.
ternary lithium battery
Ternary lithium batteries generally refer to ternary polymer lithium batteries: lithium batteries that use lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (Li(NiCoMn)O2) as the positive electrode material. According to Ouyang Minggao of Tsinghua University, the "ternary" material mentioned in this survey refers to the commonly used term "ternary power battery" where the positive electrode is ternary and the negative electrode is graphite. However, in actual research and application, there is another type with a ternary positive electrode and lithium titanate as the negative electrode, usually called "lithium titanate." Its performance is relatively safe and its lifespan is longer; it does not belong to the commonly understood "ternary material."
Advantages of ternary lithium batteries:
Ternary lithium batteries have high energy density and better cycle performance than conventional lithium cobalt oxide batteries. Currently, with continuous improvements in formulation and structure, the nominal voltage of these batteries has reached 3.7V, and their capacity has reached or exceeded that of lithium cobalt oxide batteries.
Disadvantages of ternary lithium batteries:
Ternary lithium-ion batteries mainly include nickel-cobalt-aluminum lithium batteries and nickel-cobalt-manganese lithium batteries. Due to the high-temperature structural instability of nickel-cobalt-aluminum, their high-temperature safety is poor, and excessively high pH values can easily cause the cells to swell and lead to danger. Currently, their cost is relatively high.
In summary , ternary polymer lithium batteries do indeed possess superior characteristics compared to lithium iron phosphate batteries. However, their development has been hampered by the current state of new energy development. Nevertheless, overall, ternary polymer lithium batteries are still considered better. When selecting batteries, different applications should be considered. For example, buses have ample space and relatively lower requirements for battery specific energy and specific power, making lithium iron phosphate batteries a suitable choice due to their superior cycle performance. Conversely, passenger cars have limited space and require smaller battery volumes, making high-specific-energy and high-specific-power ternary lithium batteries more appropriate.
