Browse Definitions :
Definition

lithium polymer battery (LiPo)

A lithium-polymer battery (LiPo) is a rechargeable battery that, in the case of true LiPo, uses solid polymer for the electrolyte and lithium for one of the electrodes. Commercially available LiPo are hybrids: gel polymer or liquid electrolyte in a pouch format, more accurately termed a lithium ion polymer battery.

True LiPo batteries have not reached commercial viability. The batteries referred to as LiPo in commercial use offer reduced thickness, flexibility and weight.

Their qualities make LiPo batteries suited to thin smartphones, tablets and wearables. While LiPo made a splash in radio-controlled hobbies and still remain an option, LiIon (lithium ion) are making a return due to their better discharge abilities. While pouch-type standard LiIon batteries exist, they still require external casing to prevent expansion that would otherwise become a performance and safety issue.

Current LiPo batteries are actually more of a half-step away from LiIon batteries as they don't use a true lithium polymer solid, as the original Bell Laboratory designs of the 1970s had, because the solid polymers don't perform well at room temperature. Both battery types use the same materials for cathodes and anodes. The real internal difference between the two is that the insulator between electrodes is made of a micro-porous polymer in LiPo rather than the traditional porous film separator used for LiIon.

The choice between LiIon and LiPo depends on the application its being chosen for. Today’s LiPo batteries have a shorter shelf life but a longer self-discharge time. Longer self-discharge makes them better for devices that might sit unused a few days here and there. LiPo also have a leg up in fitting tiny and slim forms.

On the other hand, LiPo have worse low-temperature discharge (0'C to 60'C) than traditional LiIon and discharging LiPo batteries to ultra-low voltages can be dangerous. Deep, fast discharges may cause expansion, combustion or even explosion. LiIon cells have better performance for very high-drain uses. Both LiPo and LiIon batteries require special smart chargers and often require circuit protection for the safest use.

This was last updated in December 2016

Continue Reading About lithium polymer battery (LiPo)

Networking
  • CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit)

    A CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit) is a hardware device about the size of a modem. It converts a digital data ...

  • data streaming

    Data streaming is the continuous transfer of data from one or more sources at a steady, high speed for processing into specific ...

  • secure access service edge (SASE)

    Secure access service edge, also known as SASE and pronounced sassy, is a cloud architecture model that bundles network and ...

Security
CIO
HRSoftware
  • recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)

    Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is when an employer turns the responsibility of finding potential job candidates over to a ...

  • human resources (HR) generalist

    A human resources generalist is an HR professional who handles the daily responsibilities of talent management, employee ...

  • employee lifecycle

    The employee lifecycle is a human resources model that identifies the different stages a worker advances through in an ...

Customer Experience
  • Adobe Experience Platform

    Adobe Experience Platform is a suite of customer experience management (CXM) solutions from Adobe.

  • virtual assistant (AI assistant)

    A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural ...

  • inbound marketing

    Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers, or leads, via company-created internet content, thereby ...

Close