Li-ion batteries come in many varieties but all have one thing in common — the catchword “lithium-ion.” Although strikingly similar at first glance, these batteries vary in performance, and it’s mostly the cathode material that gives then their unique personality.

Unless you are a chemist, the names of the materials in a lithium-ion battery can get confusing. This article provides clarity by listing six of the most common lithium-ion batteries and giving examples of typical uses. Their full chemical names and colloquial short names are summarized in Table

It was not until the early 1970’s that the first non-rechargeable lithium batteries became commercially available. Attempts to develop rechargeable lithium batteries followed in the 1980’s but the endeavor failed because of instabilities in the metallic lithium used as anode material.

Lithium is the lightest of all metals, has the greatest electro-chemical potential and provides the largest specific energy per weight. Rechargeable batteries with lithium metal on the anode (negative electrodes) could provide extraordinarily high energy densities, however, cycling produced unwanted dendrites on the anode that could penetrate the separator and cause an electrical short. The cell temperature would rise quickly and approaches the melting point of lithium, causing thermal runaway, also known as “venting with flame.”