Lithium manganese oxide (LMO) batteries are batteries that use lithium manganese oxide as the positive electrode material. Their nominal voltage ranges from 2.5 to 4.2V. LMO batteries are widely used due to their low cost and good safety. While LMO is a low-cost, safe, and low-temperature-performance positive electrode material, it is not very stable and easily decomposes to produce gas. Therefore, it is often used in combination with other materials to reduce cell costs. However, its cycle life decays relatively quickly, it is prone to swelling, has poor high-temperature performance, and a relatively short lifespan. It is mainly used in medium and large-sized cells. In power batteries, its nominal voltage is 3.7V.
Ternary lithium batteries generally refer to ternary polymer lithium batteries, which are lithium batteries that use ternary cathode materials such as lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (Li(NiCoMn)O2) or lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide. Ternary composite cathode materials are made from nickel salts, cobalt salts, and manganese salts, and the ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese can be adjusted according to actual needs. Batteries with ternary materials as cathodes are safer than lithium cobalt oxide batteries, but the voltage is too low. When used in mobile phones (the cutoff voltage of mobile phones is generally around 3.0V), there will be a noticeable lack of capacity.
Lithium manganese oxide batteries and ternary lithium batteries are both common batteries on the market. The two types of batteries each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at the differences between lithium manganese oxide batteries and ternary lithium batteries.
1. Manufacturing cost
Manganese, the main raw material for lithium manganese oxide batteries, is abundant in my country, resulting in low manufacturing costs and a significant cost advantage compared to other types of batteries. In contrast, the raw materials for ternary lithium batteries are rare metals with limited global reserves, leading to considerably higher manufacturing costs.
2. Cycle life
Typically, lithium manganese oxide batteries have a cycle life of 600-800 cycles, while ternary lithium batteries can have a cycle life of over 2000 cycles.
3. Development Prospects
Lithium manganese oxide has advantages such as abundant resources, low cost, no pollution, good safety, and good rate performance. However, its poor cycle performance and electrochemical stability greatly limit its industrial development. At present, lithium manganese oxide batteries are mainly used in electric two-wheelers, drones, power banks, etc.
Ternary lithium batteries are widely used in the field of new energy vehicles due to their advantages of long cycle life and high energy density. Many new energy vehicle models use ternary lithium power battery packs.
4. Safety
Lithium manganese oxide batteries produce almost no gas during storage and charging/discharging, exhibiting strong safety and stability. When used in combination with other materials, they also demonstrate good high-temperature performance.
Ternary lithium batteries have relatively poor thermal stability. When the temperature reaches 250-300℃, the electrolyte inside the battery will undergo a strong chemical reaction, which can lead to the battery exploding spontaneously. Their safety is worse than that of lithium manganese oxide batteries.
