Let's start with the basics of batteries. After the battery is chemically reacted with its internal chemical composition, there is a loss and gain of electrons between the cathode material and the anode material, which in turn produces the current of the battery, which means the flow of electrons. Then the potential difference between the materials is the origin of the voltage.
Lithium is a metallic element in lithium batteries in the periodic table:
Before the application of lithium, human beings have been looking for suitable battery materials as a device for storing electric energy, people have tried a variety of battery materials such as copper, iron, zinc, lead, mercury, magnesium, etc., the improvement direction of the battery is mainly to improve the capacity and discharge performance and other indicators, and finally chose lithium as the material of the latest generation of rechargeable batteries.
Why is the active ingredient of the battery "lithium" instead of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin?
It is clear from the periodic table that lithium is the third element and the highest metal element.
Lithium itself is 6 atomic mass units, and each lithium carries 1 electric charge;
Compared with zinc, which is widely used in early batteries, its atomic mass is 66, and each zinc carries 2 charges, and it is clear that using lithium as a battery material can bring significantly higher energy density. That is, lithium has a higher specific capacity as a battery material.
In addition, lithium-ion batteries also have the advantages of no memory effect, high rate of charge and discharge, low self-discharge rate, and high energy conversion rate.
Transporting supplies from the Earth to the space station, although the light rocket is less loaded, but the more times it is launched, the cost of the heavy rocket is lower, and the lithium element is like this more efficient light rocket.
Finally, the high energy density and long cycle life of lithium batteries were realized, so they occupied the market.