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Battery Chemistry Explained

Discussion in 'General Thailand Vaping Discussion' started by Rick O-Shea, May 17, 2015.

  1. Rick O-Shea

    Rick O-Shea Thread Starter iStick Fanboy

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  2. -V-
    Cool

    -V- Administrator Staff Member

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    Nice, just to quote the above:

    Battery chemistry FINALLY explainedFebruary 19 2015, 0 Comments
    I've looked far and wide, but I couldn't find any resources that actually explain li-ion battery chemistry in a simple way. So I decided to make one.

    This table shows current 18650 battery chemistries and their abbreviations:

    Screen Shot 2558-05-17 at 9.20.15 AM.png

    Each of these chemistries has its own advantages and disadvantages. I'll go through each of the chemistries and their popular 18650 models. First, let's understand what exactly these names mean...



    What's in a name?
    An 18650 li-ion battery consists of three parts: the cathode, the anode, and the electrolyte.

    [​IMG]

    The anode of all 18650 li-ion batteries is basically the same: carbon/silicon and graphite. The cathode, however, is where batteries differ, and it's what gives each model its unique characteristics. The chemical formulas in the table refer to the battery's cathode.

    One of the trade-offs with cathode chemistry is between energy, capacity, cycle life, and safety. For instance, ICR (cobalt-based) chemistries are both high energy and high capacity, but not very safe. IMR is safer, but has lower capacity than ICR. Adding nickel to manganese (IMR) gives it a higher specific energy.

    Now that we know what each chemistry means, let's look at each specific chemistry.



    IMR - LMO - Li-manganese
    Many of the high-drain batteries used in vaping and flashlights have IMR chemistry. The reason is that manganese is awesome. It allows your battery to discharge at a high current while maintaining low temperatures. This means that it's safer than many of the older ICR batteries. Most IMR batteries don't require extensive built-in protective circuitry.

    [​IMG]

    (Pictured: LG HB2, an IMR 18650 battery)

    However, most modern high-drain batteries add nickel to the mix...



    INR - NMC - Lithium manganese nickel
    The reigning champ of the 18650 vaping world. This chemistry adds nickel to the IMR chemistry above, making it a "hybrid" chemistry. It combines the safety and low resistance of manganese and the high energy of nickel.

    [​IMG]

    (Pictured: Battery Bro Samsung 25R. Wink, wink!)

    The resulting battery chemistry gives you a reasonably high capacity and a high discharge current. Importantly for vapers, the chemistry is very stable, meaning that you don't need expensive built-in protective circuits.

    There is extensive innovation within this chemistry as well. Sony, Samsung, and LG are all developing next-gen INR batteries with different ratios of manganese, nickel, and cobalt. We at Battery Bro have high hopes for this category.

    Popular INR 18650 models:

    • Samsung 25R
    • Sony VTC4
    • Sony VTC5
    • LG HE2

    NCA - Li-aluminum

    This chemistry is similar to INR, but without the benefit of manganese. These batteries tend to support lower discharge currents, but make up for it with great capacities and cycle life. They also tend to be more resistant to physical shock, making them good options for e-bikes. Tesla uses them for its awesome electric cars.

    [​IMG]

    Popular NCA models:

    • Panasonic 18650PF
    • Panasonic 18650B
    • LG MH1


    NCO
    This is a very rare chemistry. The only model I can find is the Samsung 29E, which has 2900 mAh and a max continuous discharge current of 8.2A.



    ICR - LCO - Li-cobalt
    The big boys! This chemistry delivers the highest specific energy of any 18650 battery chemistry - but at a cost. They are the most dangerous li-ion 18650 batteries out there. This is also a problem for high-current discharging, as you can't safely discharge them at a higher current than their mAh rating.

    If you use them in personal vaporizers or flashlights, for example, you'll want a model with built-in protective circuitry - which most often must be added by a third-party company like Trustfire.

    [​IMG]

    These batteries are not good for PVs or flashlights, for example, but you might have them in your laptop. Good, cheap batteries - but finicky.



    IFR - LFP - Li-phosphate
    These batteries are excellent in many ways, but their low (3.2V) voltage prevents them from joining the high-drain club. They also self-discharge at higher rates than other chemistries. On the flip side, they have high current ratings, even getting up to 30C, while still maintaining somewhat high capacities.
     
    peter-k, Siam Diesel, The Rev and 9 others like this.
  3. kevin bangkok

    kevin bangkok Well-Known Member

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    Very interesting reading,very good,infomation.
     
  4. Submaniac
    Fiendish

    Submaniac Ayatolah of Rock 'N Rolla

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    This is awesome. Thanks for sharing.
     
  5. haybilly
    Paranoid

    haybilly Well-Known Member

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    Yes, this is a very useful read.
     
  6. Siam Diesel
    Lurking

    Siam Diesel Nauti Moderator Staff Member

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    Rick O-Shea and haybilly like this.
  7. vinaydhawan

    vinaydhawan Member

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  8. haybilly
    Paranoid

    haybilly Well-Known Member

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    I came across this vid and remembered Rick's Thread--


    If, as happens so often, this video has already been posted, [duh!!] please remove it, again....

    Credits go to Aaron from PhuketVapers, for putting me onto it.
     
    jpr, Neilly and Siam Diesel like this.
  9. farangmick
    Worried

    farangmick Well-Known Member

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    Really helped me. Now I can order with confidence
     
    Siam Diesel and haybilly like this.
  10. haybilly
    Paranoid

    haybilly Well-Known Member

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    Yes, useful info.

    Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
     
  11. etlava
    Psychedelic

    etlava Well-Known Member

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    Great info.
    Cheers.
    May the vape be with you...
     
  12. Opt

    Opt New Member

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    Thanks for the info
     
  13. jpr
    Cloud_9

    jpr Well-Known Member

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