Do Laptops Use Lithium Batteries -Types, Safety & Concerns

We today live in an era of technology. Almost every part of our daily routine now depends upon the use of smart devices. We even wake up with an alarm on our clock or cell phone. In all these devices used in our daily routine, laptops are among the most important ones. These mobile computers have now become an office for some of the professions nowadays, without their laptops they cannot do anything, their every file and document that was in the past a physical one has now become a digital document saved in the laptops. So, these devices have their importance in our lives.

Now talking about these laptops, the thing running them for hours so that we work without any difficulty sitting anywhere we want without the need of an electric socket to plug-in the power cable are the batteries inside these laptops. These chargeable batteries have made our lives pretty much easy and less hectic. How are these batteries able to charge these devices for so long? what are they made up of? These are some questions that make people curious and we are going to lower their curiosity by answering them here.

What is the battery type for laptops?

Laptops use batteries that provide direct current to your laptops. Most popular batteries used nowadays are Lithium-ion batteries. The two older types used were nickel-cadmium (NiCad) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). Both these two batteries suffered from a dreaded memory effect which became a reason for their failure in laptops. The dreaded memory effect is also known as the battery effect is something that causes the battery to hold less charge, the batteries seem to remember smaller capacity. However, lithium-ion batteries are known not to have this memory effect at all. But if they are repeatedly charged after being only partially discharged then they might lose some of their capacity.

These lithium-ion batteries can be charged 300-500 times and have the capacity to disconnect the charging process once fully charged through their internal circuit. Why lithium in these batteries? It is a general question that arises by hearing their name. The answer is simple because lithium is the lightest metal with the highest electrochemical potential and highest energy density for weight. All these things are most essential for a laptop battery and lithium being the only metal to date that fits into this category.

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Lithium metal was firstly used in these batteries, but it inherits stability problems especially during charging. Because of this safety hazard instead of lithium metal now lithium-ion is used in making these batteries which are slightly lower in energy than lithium-ion but are safer. The first time commercially it was used by Sony Corporation in 1991. Its energy is twice when compared to the previously used nickel-cadmium. Lithium-ions are also low maintenance demanding batteries with a lower rate of self-discharging compared to their forefathers i.e. nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride. These qualities make them a perfect fit for modern fuel gauge applications like laptops and mobile phones.

Could putting laptops in the hold make flying mode dangerous?

There are several destinations from where direct flights to the US require the passengers to put their laptops in the luggage and not carry them in the cabin. Practices like these are dangerous because these devices become far more dangerous when not insightful and packed with so many things making the surrounding hot and compact. This could cause the batteries to catch fire and this would be a lot of serious situations because these devices are not in sight and cause deadly damage before being spotted and also there is no proper equipment present in the planes to deal with the kind of fire these batteries would cause.

If allowed to be kept in the cabin with the passenger where the environment cools and they are not packed, then they would be far less dangerous then being packed with the luggage. If any mishap happens to them there in the cabin, then they would be properly dealt with causing less harm or even no harm at all.

When they are inside the luggage area then they are closely placed with each other and they have also many other things that would increase the fire if caused in any case and would even become a small bomb with so many devices closely placed in a small area.

How do you care for laptop lithium batteries?

Taking good care of lithium-ion batteries by following a few guidelines may improve its life and helps in maintaining its health as well. The first and foremost thing to be aware of is keeping the battery at room temperature. Make sure that your laptop isn’t in an environment that is too hot or too cold, this could harm your battery.

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If your battery is not on your laptop and you want to store it separately then store it in a place where the temperature is maintained all the time like your refrigerator. Yes, the refrigerator can be a good place to store your battery separated from the laptop, in the bottom section of the fridge, not the upper one (freezer). Wrap up the battery, so that it doesn’t get wet in there. Or place it on a shelf where there is no chance of direct sunlight getting in contact with the battery.

Avoid completely discharging the batteries also and charging the battery after partial discharges, again and again, it will cause harm to your battery, never charge it unless the battery is below 30%. By following these simple steps, the battery can be kept safe.

Anyone using a laptop must get this basic knowledge for keeping their laptop batteries up to the mark and in good health. These guidelines will help in maintaining the health of your batteries and storing them in a way that will not harm them and keeping them up to the mark for a long time. Moreover, this also gives know-how regarding battery composition and its pros and cons.