Lithium Iron Phosphate vs Lithium Ion

The use of secondary batteries also known as rechargeable batteries to power different kinds of tools, devices, and equipment is one of the most crucial factors that manufacturers need to take care of all over the world. However, installing batteries to make something work is not as simple as it may sound. While there is no such thing as the perfect battery, manufacturers need to make sure that they have chosen the right type of battery that will not only power their products but that it also ticks all the boxes when it comes to factors that will provide the best battery performance.

Nowadays, as more systems are going mobile, battery design has become increasingly important more than ever. Newer technologies such as smartphones, portable power tools, and compact backup power sources like solar power generators require batteries that provide the biggest energy capacity but at the same time lightweight enough for ease of transport.

Lithium-Ion vs Lithium Iron Phosphate

Lithium-ion and lithium iron phosphate are two kinds of batteries currently available in the market. While both batteries are lithium-based, it is important to understand the key differences between the two so let’s dig a little deeper to understand what makes them different from each other and where they are best applied at the moment.

Battery Chemistry

Charge rate or C-rate is the unit battery that experts use when measuring how fast a battery is fully charged or discharged.  A C-rate of 1C means that it will take one hour for the battery to become fully charged from 0-100%. If a battery gets a C-rate higher than 1C, for example, 2C, this then means that the battery will achieve 100% full charge from 0% in just 30 minutes. Using the same logic, a lower C-rate would then mean a slower charge. For example, a battery with a C/5 (or 0.2C) C-rate would take a total of five hours for the battery to get fully charged from 0%.

Lithium-Ion

Lithium-ion can either consist of lithium manganese oxide or lithium cobalt oxide for its cathode since both chemistries contain a graphite anode. Its specific energy is 150/200 Wh/kg and a nominal voltage of 3.6V. Its charge rate ranges from 0.7C up to 1.0C as higher charges may greatly damage the battery and its discharge rate is at 1C.

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)

Composed of a cathode of iron phosphate and an anode of graphite, lithium iron phosphate contains a specific energy of 90/120 Wh/kg and a nominal voltage of 3.20V or 3.30V. Its charge rate is at 1C and a discharge rate of 25C.

Energy Levels

In terms of energy levels, lithium-ion is the preferred battery for power-hungry electronic devices that drain batteries at a high rate since it has a higher energy density compared to lithium-iron phosphate.

However, when it comes to discharge rate, lithium iron phosphate surpasses lithium ion. At 25C, lithium iron phosphate performs well in discharging in a high-temperature setting. The discharge rate has minimal effect on the battery degradation too as the capacity is reduced.

Life Cycle

About 500-1000 cycles is what you will get from a lithium-ion battery life cycle. Also, when exposed to a higher operating temperature environment, lithium-ion batteries become unstable and may negatively impact other working components of the device.

As for lithium iron phosphate batteries, their typical life cycle is between 1,000-10,000 cycles and are known to handle high-temperature settings with minimal degradation, perfect for systems that need to run for long periods of time before their next charge.

Long-Term Storage

There are times when we don’t really need or use a device or equipment and long-term storage has an effect on all kinds of batteries including lithium-ion and lithium-iron phosphate ones. This is why it is important to choose a battery type that can provide as close to the same charge performance as it provided when it was used more than a year ago. The good news is that both lithium-ion and lithium-iron phosphate batteries have satisfactory long-term storage life with the former having a shelf-life of around 300 days and the latter 350 days. 

Safety

Safety is always a priority and choosing the right type of battery for an application is not an exception. While both lithium ion and lithium iron phosphate batteries are considered safe to use, it is crucial to take note that their safety is based on several factors. For example, in terms of exposure to different types of environments, lithium iron phosphate is known to have excellent thermal and chemical stability so it remains cool and operates just the same in higher temperatures. However, lithium-ion heats up and becomes unstable in a hot environment so it’s best to avoid using devices or electronics that run in lithium-ion batteries under direct sunlight or in a place where it is above normal room temperature for a long period of time.

Applications

Between the two types of batteries being discussed in this article, lithium iron phosphate is the obvious choice if one is looking for safety and longevity without the need for high energy density although it is not as portable as lithium-ion. They are commonly used in electric vehicles, medical devices, and mobile solar generators.

Nature’s Generator Eco-Intelligent Lithium Iron Phosphate

Speaking of solar generators, the use of lithium iron phosphate in the solar generator industry is becoming increasingly popular over the past few years. In fact, Nature’s Generator, one of the leading and trusted solar generator brands in the US, has just recently launched its latest offering called Eco-Intelligent Li. What makes this battery special is that thru its high-performance smart Battery Management System (BMS), old lithium and lead acid batteries can be combined and used in tandem with the Eco-Intelligent Li batteries. You may click here or contact them directly if you want to know more about it.

Going back, now that we know where lithium iron phosphate is best used, what about lithium-ion then?

Weight is probably the main advantage of lithium-ion batteries making them suitable for portable devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

Final Thoughts

As battery technologies continue to improve, lithium chemistry also continues to show that it can provide more and that it is still the best power source for many types of devices. This can be attributed to the fact that lithium batteries are known for their impressive shelf life, portability, and ability to provide reliable continuous power over long periods of time compared to other types of batteries.

* We want to give credit where credit is due. Professional writer, Ann Matthew, contributed research and content to this blog titled: Lithium Iron Phosphate vs Lithium Ion Thank you, Ann, for your contributions!