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| Notebook Battery |
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| Notebook Battery |
What is a Notebook battery? How does it work?
A notebook battery is a container for battery cells. Each cell contain chemicals which produce electricity as a result of
the electrochemical reactions. The cells used in notebook batteries are often referred to as, Secondary Cells. This simply
means that they are rechargeable.
Battery cells produce a specific amount of electricity. A pack of these cells joined together produce correct amount of electricity
to power the notebook computer.
Different chemicals have been used over the years to make battery cells. Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion
and Lithium Ion Polymer are to name a few. These are explained in a little more detail below.
Nickel Cadmium (NiCd):
This battery uses Nickel and Cadmium as its electrodes and aqueous Potassium Hydroxide as the electrolyte. It is an older
type of battery, but is quick to charge and can handle higher loads. These batteries suffer from the "memory effect". Also
due to the presence of heavy metals, they are environmentally unsafe and hazardous.
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH):
This battery uses Nickel and other rare earth metals as its electrodes and Potassium Hydroxide as the electrolyte. These are
constructed from non-toxic metals making it environmentally friendly. These batteries do not suffer from the memory effect
and has a higher capacity than NiCd batteries. However, the NiMH battery has a much shorter life span than NiCd and Li-Ion
batteries.
Lithium Ion (Li-Ion):
Lithium Ion batteries use Lithium Oxide and a Carbon compound, usually Graphite as the electrodes. These are separated by
a microporous film containing an organic solvent as the electrolyte. Compared to NiCd and NiMH batteries, Li-Ion batteries
provide the same capacity inspite of being smaller and lighter. Li-Ion batteries have a higher power to weight ratio. These
batteries do not suffer from the dreaded "memory effect", that affects NiCd batteries. Li-Ion also has a much lower levels
of self-discharging. These tend to be comparatively more expensive due to higher production costs.
The newest type of battery chemistry is Lithium Polymer Ion. This behaves in the same way as Lithium Ion. However,
it uses a thin plastic like film as the electrolyte. This dry polymer allows for a battery with considerably reduced weight.
As a result Lithium Polymer Ion batteries have a greater power to weight ratio than most of the other types mentioned here.
Notebook computers vary a lot and you should always check you manual or with the manufacturer to avoid any accidents. This
battery care page seems to have some useful information and tips for users.
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