Classification by Positive electrodes material (core classification method)
1.LCO
Positive electrodes material: LiCoO₂
Characteristics: High energy density, high voltage platform, and good charge/discharge performance. However, it has high cost, relatively short cycle life, poor thermal stability (relatively low safety), and limited cobalt resources with volatile prices.
Applications: Small batteries for consumer electronics (mobile phones, laptops, tablets, digital cameras, etc.).
2. LMO
Positive electrodes material:LiMn₂O₄
Characteristics: Low cost, good safety, good low-temperature performance, environmentally friendly (abundant manganese resources). However, it has lower energy density (lower than LCO and NCM/NCA), moderate cycle life, and poor high-temperature cycle performance (manganese is easily soluble).
Applications: Power tools, electric bicycles, low-speed electric vehicles, some PHEV/BEVs (often used in combination), cost-sensitive energy storage.
3. LFP
Positive electrodes material: LiFePO₄
Characteristics: Extremely high safety (excellent thermal stability), extremely long cycle life, environmentally friendly, and stable voltage platform. However, its energy density is relatively low (lower than LCO and NCM/NCA)、Reduced low-temperature performance.
Applications: Electric vehicles (especially those prioritizing safety), electric buses, energy storage power stations (grid/commercial/home storage), electric ships, and power tools.
4. NCM/NCA
Positive electrodes material: LiNiₓCoᵧMnzO₂, NCM or LiNiₓCoᵧAlzO₂, NCA.
Characteristics: High energy density, relatively high voltage plateau, and well-balanced overall performance (energy, power, cycle life). However, it has a higher cost (containing cobalt), slightly lower safety compared to LFP, and a generally shorter cycle life than LFP.
Applications: Consumer electronics, power tools.
