A lithium-ion battery is one type of battery. Lithium-ion batteries are powered by the movement of lithium ions between electrodes.

Lithium-ion batteries are often used because they:

• are rechargeable
• can transmit energy efficiently
• store a large amount of energy in a small amount of space

In other words, lithium-ion batteries are small and powerful.

This is due to the chemical properties of lithium-ion battery components. Lithium-ion batteries can come in many types of shapes and sizes. Slide the slider to observe some structures of a lithium-ion battery. This one has a “spiral-wound” construction.

Explore this interactive to compare the lithium-ion battery to an Alkaline battery.