AA Lithium Batteries

The AA lithium ion battery is a form of rechargeable battery. It is abbreviated AA Li-Ion battery and often referred to simply as AA lithium battery. It is highly suitable for today's power demanding electronic appliances, such as digital cameras and portable audio players since it provide plenty of energy for an extended period of time. The AA lithium battery also have a lifespan that is significantly longer than the lifespan of most other forms of rechargeable AA batteries, e.g. the alkaline AA batteries. The AA lithium battery has the same dimensions as all the other AA batteries, but provides the best energy-to-weight ratio.

The history of the AA lithium battery began in 1912 when American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis pioneered in the field of lithium battery cells. It would however take until the early 1970s until the very first non-rechargeable cells were produced and the lithium ion battery would need almost two more decades of gradual improvements until it could be considered safe enough for the consumer market. In 1991, Sony released the first commercially available lithium battery. The research behind this safer lithium battery variant was performed by a team led by John B. Goodenough, professor of mechanical and electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, in the United States. In 2001, John B. Goodenough was awarded the Japan Prize for his discoveries of the materials used in the creation of the lightweight rechargeable batteries.

One of the main advantages of the AA lithium battery compared to AA alkaline batteries, AA NiCd batteries and AA NiMH batteries is also one of the main disadvantages of the AA lithium battery. As you might know, the alkaline, NiCd and NiMH batteries will age somewhat every time you recharge them and you should therefore strive to recharge the batteries as seldom as possible, e.g. by allowing them to become completely empty before you recharge them. The AA lithium battery on the other hand can be recharged very frequently; you don’t have to worry about causing it to age prematurely. This will however also mean that you can not increase the lifespan of your AA lithium battery by not recharging it. The aging process will start as soon as the battery has been manufactured, even if you keep the AA lithium battery unused in a drawer. When you purchase an AA lithium battery it is therefore a good idea to take a look at the manufacturing date.

Always treat your AA lithium battery in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, since a mistreated AA lithium battery will have a shorter lifespan than a well cared for battery. The AA lithium battery can also cause potentially hazardous situations if you violate the safety rules.

You can decrease the aging process of your AA lithium battery by storing it in a cool place and never subject it to deep discharge. If you know that you will not use your AA lithium battery in a while, you should store it at 40% charge level since this charge level will minimise the damage caused by aging. An AA lithium battery kept at 25 degrees Celsius will loose 20 percent of its capacity within a year if the charge level is 100%. If you instead decrease the charge level to 40% you can lower the loss to around 4% a year at 25 degrees Celsius. By storing your AA lithium battery at 0 degrees C and a charge level of 40%, you can decrease the damage rate even further – down to around 2%. If you instead expose your AA lithium battery to heat it will rapidly deteriorate. At 40 degrees C, a 100% charged AA lithium battery will loose around 35% of its capacity a year, while a 40% charged battery will loose roughly 15%