Comparison between Lithium Polymer Battery and Nickel Metal Hydride Battery

The modern world we live in has presented an age where we literally depend on various electronic gadgets to power our daily lives. So much is our reliance on these gadgets that thinking of a life without devices such as cell phones, tablets, cameras and laptops seems unimaginable. And for that reason, we celebrate the inventors of these useful electronics. What we might not always acknowledge and appreciate are the batteries that power these devices. There are majorly two types of batteries that do this; the Lithium Polymer battery and the Nickel Metal Hydride battery. Below are their characteristics along with their pros and cons.

The Lithium Polymer battery (LiPo)

This type of battery is usually abbreviated as LiPo or Li-poly and is a rechargeable battery from the lithium-ion technology. Instead of using liquid electrolyte, the technology uses a polymer electrolyte. The LiPo batteries are commonly used in mobile phones, laptops, power banks, portable media players and are affected by such things as overcharging, over- temperature, over discharge and short circuit.

Advantages of the Lithium Polymer battery

• They are lighter than most types of batteries.
• They can be recharged severally (hundreds of times).
• They possess high discharge rates and can therefore provide a lot of energy.
• They have low self-discharge rates (about 5% in one month).

Disadvantages of the Lithium Polymer battery

• They face the risk of exploding or even catching fire when exposed to overcharging, overheating or if they are damaged.
• Needs monitoring when charging.
• Expensive.

The Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH)

Abbreviated as NiMH or Ni-MH, this type of battery is also rechargeable. The nickel metal hydride battery has an alkaline electrolyte, and potassium hydroxide is the more commonly used component. These types of batteries are often used in digital cameras.

Advantages of the Nickel Metal Hydride battery

• These types of batteries possess a high capacity of up to 11,000 milliampere hours, this being over a given period of time. I.e. high energy density.
• Since they contain no toxic components, they are environmentally friendly.
• They can be recharged severally and hence save on costs.
• They have the potential to provide lots of power when used in high energy usage.

Disadvantages of the Nickel Metal Hydride battery

• They are generally more expensive than alternative average alkaline batteries.
• Instead of slowly running out, they cut their power supply at once.
• They are known to quickly self-discharge.
• They can only be recharged using chargers made by their manufacturers.

While it is quite clear that these two types of batteries both have their pros and cons, most importantly is that you are now able to differentiate between them and will be wiser when making the decision on which one to purchase based on these factors.