In the field of industrial and commercial energy storage, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are gradually becoming the darling of the market. This type of battery has become the preferred choice for many energy storage projects due to its excellent safety, long cycle life, and stable performance. So, what is lithium iron phosphate battery? What is its working principle? Why can it stand out in industrial and commercial energy storage? What are its unique features compared to the commonly used ternary lithium batteries in automobiles? This article will provide you with answers one by one.
What is lithium iron phosphate battery?
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is a type of lithium-ion battery, with lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO ₄) as the positive electrode material and graphite as the negative electrode material. This type of battery has the following characteristics:
- High safety: Lithium iron phosphate batteries have good thermal stability and high thermal runaway temperature (around 700 ℃), making it difficult to catch fire or explode even under extreme conditions.
Long cycle life: The cycle life of lithium iron phosphate batteries can reach over 3500 times, or even higher.
- Stable performance: During the charging and discharging process, the voltage platform of lithium iron phosphate batteries is relatively stable, which can provide stable power output.
- Low cost: Due to not using precious metals such as cobalt, the production cost of lithium iron phosphate batteries is relatively low.
Environmental characteristics: The material of lithium iron phosphate batteries is non-toxic, pollution-free, and meets environmental requirements.
Working principle of lithium iron phosphate battery
The working principle of lithium iron phosphate batteries is based on the reversible insertion and extraction process of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes. During the charging process, lithium ions are released from the positive electrode material of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO ₄), migrate to the graphite negative electrode through the electrolyte and separator, and embed into the graphite lattice. Meanwhile, electrons flow from the positive electrode to the negative electrode through an external circuit to maintain charge balance.
The discharge process is the opposite, where lithium ions detach from the graphite negative electrode, migrate through the electrolyte and separator to the lithium iron phosphate positive electrode, and re embed into the positive electrode material. This process can be repeated to achieve the charging and discharging cycle of the battery.
