Secondary Batteries for Mobile Applications: From Lead to Lithium [Historical]

Secondary batteries are rechargeable, unlike primary batteries, which must be disposed of when the electrodes have been consumed after discharge. Due to space limitations, this column focuses only on secondary batteries for mobile applications in portable electronics (PEs) and electric vehicles (EVs), namely batteries in which the electrodes host the energy conversion electrochemical reactions and also store energy in electrochemical form [1]. This column does not deal with stationary storage systems for grid services, which typically have higher power and energy ratings and involve a wider range of technologies, including flow batteries, which store energy in flowing electrolytic solutions rather than in the electrodes.