Battery Parameters and Performance

We shall start our discussion then with the focus of the vast majority of the studies, i.e. CPs as cathode materials in Li secondary batteries, whence the principles of CP use in batteries will become familiar. We shall then progress to the other battery applications from there. Before this, however, we must digress briefly to the benchmarks, parameters and terms used to judge battery performance, so that the reader is familiar with where Li batteries stack in relation to other batteries. 

The major parameters used to measure battery performance are discharge voltage (or open circuit voltage e.g. 1.5 V for a common D cell), energy density, usually expressed in mWh/g (milliWatt-hours/gram), specific capacity, usually expressed in mAli/g (A= amperes), number of deep discharge cycles obtainable (cyclability or 

The electrode-electrolyte configuration of a battery is usually denoted in shorthand, starting with the anode. Thus, a battery consisting of a Li anode, a liquid electrolyte of LiC104 in propylene carbonate (PC), and a P(Py)C104 cathode, would be denoted as Li/LiC104-PC-electrolyte/P(Py)C104. 

Illustrative charge/discharge characteristics of (a) well-behaved and (b) poor Li secondary battery. After Reference [688], reproduced with permission. 

TYPE (Anode/Cathode) Discharge Voltage Energy Density (m/Wh/g) 

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