The use of batteries as a portable power source has gained tremendous importance for powering mobile devices and for enabling greener and less energy-intensive transportation. Whether the demand is for a smart phone, laptop, tablet or the next wearable, the consumer demands a thinner and lighter battery while maintaining or increasing battery life at the lowest possible cost. This demand has caused many companies to increasingly consider the battery and its performance when designing their next device. While, in the past, it may have been acceptable to take an "off-the-shelf" battery that meets specifications and "plug it in", many companies are starting to implement "smart" designs that take into account specific battery chemistries and characteristics to improve overall performance. This requires a knowledge of how a battery works. With this in mind, this article gives an explanation of battery fundamentals, why batteries degrade over their life, what limits their performance, the trade-offs between high power and high energy, and current efforts to build a better battery. While many of the overall properties are similar for many battery chemistries, here we will focus on the lithium-ion battery, specifically the cobaltdioxide/ graphite lithium-ion battery, one of the most popular battery chemistries for mobile devices.

Anthony Ferrese

GetMobile Mobile Computing and Communications

GetMobile: Mobile Computing and Communications

Battery Fundamentals

An explanation of battery fundamentals, why batteries degrade over their life, what limits their performance, the trade-offs between high power and high energy, and current efforts to build a better battery are given.

Battery Fundamentals

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
TELECOMMUNICATIONS	4