- The origin of modern day lithium polymer batteries can be traced back to the early 1970s. However, LiPo batteries did not see wide scale consumer and commercial adoption until the early part of the 21st century.
- Lithium Polymer batteries contain a dry polymer suspended in an electrolytic gel. Lithium polymer batteries contain no metal-based conductive elements.
- One of the benefits of lithium polymer batteries is that they can be manufactured in a variety of form factors. Also, because of their unique design, they can be ultra thin.
- Lithium polymer batteries have found a home in small portable devices that need to be lightweight and pocketable while having a long battery life. You can often find lithium polymer batteries used in devices such as cellular phones, mp3 players, and laptop/netbook computers.
- One of the main benefits of lithium polymer batteries is that they have little to no risk of explosion. LiPo batteries can be punctured, overcharged, or otherwise damaged; yet will not explode or combust. This is because the polymer used in manufacturing the batteries is a non-flammable agent.
- One of the main disadvantages of LiPo batteries is cost. The chemicals used to make LiPo's are expensive and therefore these batteries tend to have a higher retail price than other types of rechargeable batteries. Additionally, there are no standardized sizes, so replacement LiPos can be difficult to obtain.
