Six Major Types of Lithium-Ion Batteries

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The performance, cost, and applicable scenarios of lithium-ion batteries primarily depend on their cathode materials (some types are classified separately due to the unique characteristics of their anode materials). Currently, the mainstream types can be divided into six major categories, with significant differences in key indicators such as energy density, safety, and cycle life. The following is a detailed analysis from four dimensions: core characteristics, key parameter comparison, selection criteria, and technological development trends.

I. Analysis of Core Characteristics of the Six Major Types of Lithium-Ion Batteries

(I) Lithium Cobalt Oxide Battery (LCO)

Core Materials: Lithium cobalt oxide is used for the cathode, graphite is mainly used for the anode, and lithium salt organic solution serves as the electrolyte. It is one of the early commercialized lithium-ion battery types.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

High energy density, with a volumetric energy density of over 600Wh/L, meeting the demand for “small size and high energy storage” in small devices.

Excellent charge-discharge efficiency, with an initial efficiency of approximately 90%.

Stable voltage platform at around 3.7V, compatible with the power supply requirements of most consumer electronics.

Good low-temperature performance, with relatively mild capacity fading in low-temperature environments.

• Disadvantages:

The cathode is prone to decomposition and oxygen release under high-temperature or overcharge conditions, which may easily cause fire.

High cost, as cobalt is expensive and accounts for more than 60% of the cost of cathode materials.

(II) Lithium Manganese Oxide Battery (LMO)

Core Materials: Lithium manganese oxide is used for the cathode, graphite is mostly used for the anode, and some products will add lithium titanate to form a “lithium manganese oxide – lithium titanate” composite system to optimize performance.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

Low cost, as manganese has abundant reserves in nature and low price, reducing the overall manufacturing cost of the battery.

Better safety than lithium cobalt oxide batteries, with a thermal decomposition temperature of approximately 250℃ and a low probability of thermal runaway.

Good rate performance, supporting high-current charge and discharge, suitable for scenarios such as power tools that require short-term high-power output.

Good environmental friendliness, without heavy metals such as cobalt and nickel, causing less environmental pollution.

• Disadvantages:

Short cycle life, as manganese ions are easy to dissolve into the electrolyte, leading to the collapse of the cathode structure. Usually, the capacity fading becomes very obvious after 300-500 cycles.

Low energy density, with a volumetric energy density of only 300-400Wh/L, less than half of that of lithium cobalt oxide batteries.

Poor high-temperature performance, as the capacity fading rate accelerates significantly when the ambient temperature exceeds 60℃.

Typical Applications: In the early stage, it was mainly used in power tools, portable small household appliances (such as robot vacuum cleaners), and some low-speed electric vehicles (such as elderly mobility scooters). Currently, it is more used as an “auxiliary battery” and paired with ternary batteries or lithium iron phosphate batteries, such as the auxiliary power supply of hybrid vehicles.

(III) Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery (LFP)

Core Materials: Lithium iron phosphate is used for the cathode, graphite is mainly used for the anode, and some high-end products will use silicon-based anodes to improve energy density. It is one of the mainstream battery types in the current new energy field.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

Extremely high safety, with a thermal decomposition temperature of over 600℃. Even under extreme conditions such as overcharge, puncture, and extrusion, it is not easy to catch fire or explode, and there is basically no risk of “thermal runaway”.

Long cycle life, with the cycle number of conventional products reaching 2000-3000 times, and some long-life versions even exceeding 10000 times.

Low cost, as iron has extremely abundant reserves, and the cost of cathode materials is only 1/3 of that of lithium cobalt oxide batteries.

Good environmental friendliness, without scarce heavy metals such as cobalt and nickel, and the subsequent recycling is less difficult with controllable recycling costs.

•Disadvantages:

Relatively low energy density, with a volumetric energy density of approximately 400-500Wh/L, lower than that of ternary batteries.

Poor low-temperature performance, as when the ambient temperature drops below -20℃, the capacity will fade to less than 50%, and an additional heating system is required to improve the low-temperature use effect.

Low voltage platform, around 3.2V. It is necessary to meet the power supply requirements of high-voltage equipment through multiple series connections, which will increase the design complexity of the battery pack.

Typical Applications: Widely used in new energy vehicles (such as all mainstream models of BYD), energy storage systems (including photovoltaic/wind power energy storage and home energy storage), electric buses/trucks, and other scenarios with high requirements for safety and cycle life. At the same time, due to its advantages in cost and safety, companies such as Tesla also plan to apply it to fixed energy storage products.

(IV) Ternary Lithium Battery (NCM/NCA)

Core Materials: The cathode adopts a ternary composite material of “nickel, cobalt, manganese” (NCM) or “nickel, cobalt, aluminum” (NCA), and the anode is mostly graphite or silicon-carbon composite anode. According to the nickel content, it can be divided into models such as NCM111 (10% nickel), NCM523 (50% nickel), NCM622 (60% nickel), and NCM811 (80% nickel). The higher the nickel content, the stronger the energy density.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

High energy density, with the volumetric energy density of the NCM811 model reaching 700-800Wh/L, making it the lithium-ion battery type with the highest energy density among mass-produced ones.

Good low-temperature performance, with a capacity retention rate of approximately 70% in the environment of -20℃, which is better than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

High voltage platform, between 3.6-3.7V, compatible with high-voltage equipment.

Balanced rate performance, with medium and high-nickel models supporting 1C-2C charge and discharge, which can meet the power requirements of most scenarios.

• Disadvantages:

Moderate safety, as the higher the nickel content, the worse the thermal stability. The thermal decomposition temperature of NCM811 is only 200-250℃, and it is necessary to rely on the Battery Management System (BMS) to strictly control the temperature and voltage to reduce safety risks.

High cost, due to the inclusion of two scarce metals, cobalt and nickel, especially for high-nickel models, the cost of raw materials accounts for a high proportion.

Moderate cycle life, with the cycle number of conventional NCM523 being approximately 1500 times and that of NCM811 being approximately 1200 times, lower than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Typical Applications: Mainly used in mid-to-high-end new energy vehicles, drones (with extremely high requirements for energy density), high-end consumer electronics (such as some ultra-thin laptops and professional camera batteries) and other scenarios. It is the preferred battery type for devices pursuing high endurance and high performance.

(V) Lithium Titanate Battery (LTO)

Core Materials: Different from other types, the core difference of lithium titanate batteries lies in the anode – lithium titanate is used instead of traditional graphite anode, and the cathode is mostly lithium manganese oxide or ternary materials. Essentially, it belongs to a special battery type with “anode modification”.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

Extremely long cycle life, with the cycle number reaching more than 20000 times, making it the lithium-ion battery type with the longest life among all.

Excellent fast-charging performance, supporting 10C-20C ultra-fast charging, and it can be fully charged within 10 minutes.

High safety, with a stable lithium titanate structure, no problem of “SEI film rupture”, and not easy to precipitate lithium in low-temperature environments.

Good low-temperature performance, with a capacity retention rate of approximately 80% in the environment of -30℃, which can be adapted to use in extremely cold areas.

• Disadvantages:

Extremely low energy density, with a volumetric energy density of only 200-300Wh/L, approximately half of that of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

High cost, as the preparation process of lithium titanate materials is complex, resulting in high overall price of the battery.

Low voltage platform, around 2.4V. More series connections are required to meet the voltage requirements of the equipment, which will increase the volume and weight of the battery pack.

(VI) Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate Battery (LMFP)

Core Materials: On the basis of lithium iron phosphate, manganese is used to replace part of iron as the cathode component. It is an improved product of lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the anode is still mainly graphite.

Performance Characteristics:

• Advantages:

The energy density is approximately 20% higher than that of traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries, which can improve the endurance of the equipment while maintaining safety.

The low-temperature performance is better than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries, solving the problem of severe low-temperature capacity fading of traditional LFP.

Relatively controllable cost, although slightly higher than that of lithium iron phosphate, it is much lower than that of ternary batteries, with both performance and cost-effectiveness.

• Disadvantages:

The technical maturity still needs to be improved, and the current mass production scale is small.

The cycle life is slightly lower than that of traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the material process needs to be further optimized.

II. Comparison of Key Parameters of the Six Major Types of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Battery Type	Volumetric Energy Density (Wh/L)	Cycle Life (Times)	Safety	Cost	Low-Temperature Performance (Capacity Retention Rate at -20℃)	Core Application Scenarios
Lithium Cobalt Oxide Battery (LCO)	600-700	500-800	Medium	High	Approximately 80%	Consumer Electronics (Mobile Phones, Laptops)
Lithium Manganese Oxide Battery (LMO)	300-400	300-500	Medium	Low	Approximately 60%	Power Tools, Auxiliary Power Supply for Low-Speed Vehicles
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery (LFP)	400-500	2000-3000+	Excellent	Low	Approximately 50%	New Energy Vehicles, Energy Storage, Electric Buses
Ternary Lithium Battery (NCM/NCA)	500-800	1200-1500	Medium	Medium-High	Approximately 70%	Mid-to-High-End New Energy Vehicles, Drones, High-End Consumer Electronics
Lithium Titanate Battery (LTO)	200-300	20000+	Excellent	High	Approximately 80%	Long-Life Energy Storage, Ultra-Fast Charging Equipment, Low-Speed Vehicles in Extremely Cold Areas
Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate Battery (LMFP)	500-600	1500-2500	Excellent	Medium	Approximately 65%	Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage with Requirements for Energy Density

III. Selection Criteria for Lithium-Ion Batteries

• Prioritizing Safety, Long Life, and Low Cost: Choose lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are suitable for scenarios such as family cars, energy storage systems, and electric buses. These scenarios have low tolerance for safety risks and require long-term stable use to control costs.

• Prioritizing High Energy Density and Low-Temperature Performance: Choose ternary lithium batteries and lithium cobalt oxide batteries, which are suitable for scenarios such as high-end new energy vehicles in northern regions, drones, and professional cameras. These scenarios have high requirements for driving range and low-temperature use effect.

• Prioritizing Ultra-Fast Charging and Extremely Long Life: Choose lithium titanate batteries, which are suitable for scenarios such as special energy storage (e.g., power grid frequency modulation), equipment in extremely cold areas, and battery swapping systems for shared electric vehicles. These scenarios require frequent charge and discharge or long-term use in extreme environments.

• Prioritizing Balancing Energy Density and Cost: Choose lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries, which are suitable for electric vehicle and energy storage scenarios that have certain requirements for endurance but do not want to bear the high cost of ternary batteries. They are one of the preferred cost-effective directions in the future.

• Low-Cost and Short-Life Scenarios: Choose lithium manganese oxide batteries, which are suitable for scenarios such as low-end power tools and portable small household appliances. These scenarios have low requirements for battery life and pay more attention to the initial purchase cost.