A lithium ion battery (sometimes Li-ion battery or LIB) is a family of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge, and back when charging. Chemistry,performance,cost, and safety characteristics vary across LIB types. Unlike lithium primary batteries (which are disposable),lithium-ion cells use an intercalated lithium compound as the electrode material instead of metallic lithium.

Lithium-ion batteries are common in consumer electronics.They are one of the most popular for portable electronics,with one of the best energy-to-weight ratios,no memory effect, and a slow loss of charge when not in use.Beyond consumer electronics,LIBs are growing in popularity for military,electric vehicle, and aerospace applications due to their high energy density. Research in yielding a stream of improvements to traditional LIB technology,focusing on energy density,durability,cost,and safety.