Rechargeable batteries — Lithium batteries

All the considerations set out in paragraph 1 below point to lithium as one of the very first electrode materials. This element has a particularly pronounced reducing character. Its potential, one of the lowest of all the elements (see Table 1 in chapter [D 3 351] "Theoretical considerations") and more generally of all known anode materials, is equal to – 3.045 V/ENH. By combining lithium with an oxidizing agent, we can achieve higher energy and fem values than those created by most electrochemical couples. What's more, lithium's density (0.534 g/cm ³ ) is low and, consequently, its specific capacity (3,860 Ah/kg) higher than that of current anode materials (e.g. Cd, 477 Ah/kg). The author cites the lithium-fluorine pair in the sections on batteries in this treatise. If a generator could be made using these two elements, which is not the case, it would have a voltage of around 5.91 V and a theoretical mass energy of 6,106 Wh/kg. Practical mass energy could reach 1,500 to 2,000 Wh/kg. By way of comparison, for a Carnot efficiency of 0.25, the practical mass energy of gasoline is 3,000 Wh/kg.