During the last decade, rechargeable custom batteries have made little improvement in terms of increased capacity. Compared with the vast advancements in areas such as micro electronics, the lack of progress in battery technology is apparent. Consider, for example, a computer memory core of the sixties and compare it to a modern microchip of the same byte count; what once measured a cubic foot now sits in a tiny chip. A comparable size reduction would literally shrink a heavy duty car battery to the size of a coin. Since custom batteries are still based on chemical processes, a car battery the size of a coin is still some time off.
What research has brought about is a number of different battery chemistries, each offering distinct advantages over the others but none providing a fully satisfactory solution. Today's most common and promising chemistries available are: |
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(NiCd) - used for portable radios, power tools and some biomedical instruments. NiCds have a good load characteristics, are economically priced and are simple to use. Some cautions needs to be met when disposing of them.
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(Li-Ion) - Commonly used in video cameras, cell phones, high volumes portable applications . This chemistry will replace some NiCds/Nimh for high energy-density applications, but at a higher cost. |
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(NiMH) - used for portable instrumentation and laptop computers where high-energy is of importance and cost is secondary. Environmentally more friendly than Ni-cad.
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(Li-Polymer) - This battery will have the highest energy density and lowest self-discharge but its load characteristics will only suit low current applications.
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(SLA) - used for biomedical equipment, wheel chairs, UPS systems and other heavier applications where energy-to-weight ratio is not critical and low battery cost is desirable. |
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