Lithium-ion?

Question

I am led to believe lithium batteries and lithium-ion are not same. That lithium-ion will far out distance aa RECHARGEABLES, right?

Answer 1

Batteries simply called lithium batteries are generally primary(non-rechargeable) cells, while Lithium Ion generally refers to a secondary(rechargeable) cell or battery.

What Energizer and the like sell as Lithium batteries are in fact Lithium-iron cells, and are intended as replacements for conventional carbon-zinc and alkaline-manganese cells.

Li-ion cells are of a totally different chemistry, having a carbon anode, metal oxide cathode, and some sort of lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent for the electrolyte.

Li-ion cells are very sensitive to overcharging, and, as a result, can't generally be used as direct replacement for conventional primary cell chemistries. In order to be used safely, they need to have an automatic shut-off integrated into the charging circuit, something which is not possible with conventional cell designs.

So, don't expect to find Li-ion cells that can be used as a direct replacement for alkaline batteries.

As far as lithium(primary) batteries go, they have around 2.5 times the energy density of conventional alkaline-manganese cells, meaning that in high drain applications, you can reasonably expect about 2.5 times the life of alkaline-manganese cells.

Answer 2

The other answer is pretty darn complete.

However, here's a simple answer: No, they are not the same. And lithium-ion batteries are very powerful, more so than NiMH rechargeables.

Lithium batteries are disposable and non-rechargeable. Think: Energizer lithiums in the blue package.

Lithium-ion are rechargeable and pack a huge amount of power in a small and light size. But there's no AA rechargeable lithium ion batteries. And lithium-ion batteries need a chip in them to control charging/recharging.
Think: those funny shaped, unique to each camera grey-colored batteries. Example: Sony infolithium batteries.

Lithium-ions will definitely outdo rechargeable NiMH batteries. They hold huge amounts of energy and charge fairly quickly.

Answer 3

Have a good and healthier day before all. That's right, the lithium batteries and Li-ion are not the same, the lithium batteries are almost a better battery in voltage performance. But the Li-ion are more like a re-chargable battery.