The world is filled with many variations of battery each having its own unique characteristics. 

One of the most common batteries used nowadays is Lithium-Ion.

Sooner or later, the Lithium-Ion is going to go dead (lose all its charge), and if it is a rechargeable battery, will need to be recharged.

Letting a battery go fully dead is not an ideal situation, so knowing at what voltage a Lithium-Ion battery loses all its charge will help you extend its lifespan.

So, at what voltage is a Lithium-Ion battery considered dead? The voltage at which a Lithium-Ion is dead is around 3.4 volts. This voltage can vary depending on factors such as the temperature and also its manufacturer. Lithium-Ion batteries should not be used when they are dead.  They contain a cutoff circuit to protect them from being used past the voltage at which they have lost all its charge. 

This article shall take a look closer at Lithium-Ion batteries and its discharge profile. 

Deeper look at a Lithium-Ion battery

There are many batteries that exist in the world today, and while they all share one main goal, which is to provide power to electrical and electronic devices, they differ in many different characteristics.

Characteristics such as;

• Chemical composition
• Nominal voltage
• Current capacity 
• Shape
• Size
• Energy Density 
• Specific Energy density

The main characteristic here that plays a major part in determining many of the other factors (such as voltage, current capacity, energy density, etc), is the Chemical Composition.

Batteries produce electrical power from chemical reactions that occur inside the battery. There are a range of chemicals that are used in different batteries which include;

• Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
• Zinc-Carbon 
• Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
• Lead-Acid 
• Alkaline 

The chemical composition we are most concerned about for this article is Lithium-Ion (Li-On). 

The battery is constructed using cells where lithium-ions move from the negative electrode through an electrolyte towards the positive electrode. 

Lithium-Ion battery nominal voltage 

To better understand at what voltage a Lithium-Ion battery is dead, it will first help to understand the voltage at which it is operational.

The voltage of the battery is one of the most important characteristics when selecting a battery for a particular application. 

All electrical and electronic devices have a specific voltage rating that they require to operate efficiently and effectively. 

So, you will have to select a battery with the exact voltage (or a bit higher), to satisfy the needs of that device. 

The voltage of a battery refers to the amount of electrical potential it is able to hold, and is given in the standard international unit of Voltage (V).

All batteries have a theoretical voltage, however, the actual voltage (nominal voltage) produced will be lower.

This is due to polarisation and resistance losses, and is largely dependent on the current drawn by the load and the internal impedance of the battery. 

The maximum voltage that a lithium-ion battery is capable of producing is 4.2V, however this will soon drop to its nominal voltage of 3.7V. 

Different types of Lithium-Ion battery

Lithium-Ion batteries come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the needs of many different applications, from power tools to RC planes. 

Below are the different shapes available for lithium-ion batteries;

• Small cylindrical (single cell with, solid body, with no terminals)
• Large cylindrical (single cell,solid body, with threaded terminals)
• Flat or pouch (soft, flat body)
• Rigid plastic case (large threaded terminals) 

But, do the  different variety of shapes of lithium-ion batteries share the same voltage? 

Yes, while they vary in size, the batteries share the same nominal voltage of 3.7V. 

What about devices that require larger voltages, and use lithium-ion batteries? To generate a larger voltage, lithium-ion batteries can be connected in series. 

Note, this process is a bit more complicated than connecting other batteries in series, as the impedances of lithium-ion batteries need to be matched. 

So, two lithium-ion batteries connected in series (with their impedances matched of course), will now have a nominal voltage of 7.4V.

Adding more batteries will consequently increase the voltage by 3.7V.

Lithium-Ion batteries are available in packs with these higher voltages. 

Voltage at which a Lithium-Ion battery is dead

There are a couple of voltages that we need to be aware of when using a lithium-ion battery (or any other battery for that matter).

The first being the nominal voltage, which we now know is 3.7V for lithium-ion batteries. 

Another voltage that is of utmost importance is the voltage at which the battery is considered dead, when it has lost all its charge.

It is essential to know this voltage as the battery will need to be recharged back to its nominal voltage to be able to effectively power electronics. 

So, what is the voltage at which a lithium-ion battery is considered dead?

The voltage at which a lithium-ion battery is dead is around 3.4V. 

If the battery is still connected and continues to discharge past 3.4V, a cutoff circuitry kicks in around 3V and disconnects the battery for protection purposes. 

What can affect how fast a lithium-ion battery goes dead?

There are a couple of factors that can affect how fast the lithium-ion battery goes dead, with the two major factors being;

• Load
• Temperature

Load

The first obvious factor is the load that is placed on the battery. A great analogy for this is to imagine you are carrying a backpack (which represents the load), and your energy levels represent the battery. 

If you have a lot of items in the backpack, the weight is going to be larger. This means you have to generate more power to carry the load, which is going to cause you to tire faster (lose all your energy).

However, if you only had a few items in the backpack (which meant the weight is far less), you would need to generate less power to carry it. This means you would be able to travel further. 

This concept is similar for batteries. If a greater load is placed on the battery (such as powering a motor), the battery is going to have to generate more power causing it to lose charge faster and go dead.

But, if the battery is connected to a device such as an LED (which consumes far less power than a motor), the battery will last much longer. 

Temperature

The next major factor that influences the performance of a battery is temperature.

Lithium-Ion batteries have a range of ideal temperatures at which they can be charged and discharged at.

The ideal temperature to charge a lithium-ion battery is 32°F (0°C) to 113°F (45°C) and the ideal discharge temperature is –4°F (-20°C) to 140°F (60°C).

However it is not recommended to charge or discharge the lithium-ion batteries at the extreme temperatures (either real cold or hot).

Higher temperatures can have a temporary advantage of greater performance and increased storage capacity, however, the long term side effect is a decreased life cycle.

Every battery has an internal resistance and when they are subject to drastically lower temperatures, the internal resistance increases.

This means that the battery has to do more work to overcome this increase in resistance causing it to lose power and go dead faster. 

What happens when a Lithium-Ion battery is dead

There are two things not to do with a Lithium-Ion battery when it comes to voltage;

• Do not charge them past their maximum safe voltage of 4.2V 
• Do not discharge them below the minimum safe voltage of 3V.

Lucky for you and me, we do not have to worry about constantly monitoring the battery to see if the voltage goes past these two limits.

When it comes to charging, lithium-ion batteries require a special charger to ensure that the maximum voltage is not exceeded.

This means lithium-ion battery chargers do not have trickle charging (which is a common technique used to charge a battery when it has reached full charge). 

Once the lithium-ion battery has reached full capacity, the battery charger stops charging the battery.

For discharging, lithium-ion batteries include a similar protection circuit that is built on the cell (usually at the the top of the battery covered in tape).

This protection circuit will monitor and disconnect the battery once it has gone dead to protect it from damage. . 

Can a lithium-ion battery become dead if it is not used?  

Yes, a lithium-ion battery can go dead if it is not used (even though it is not supplying a load).

All batteries have something that is known as shelf life. 

The shelf life of a battery tells us the time a battery can hold its charge when it is not being used. After that time, the battery will start to lose charge and need to be recharged (if it is a rechargeable battery).

Lithium-Ion batteries have a self-discharge rate of 5% per month at room temperature.

Irreversible capacity loss occurs if the battery is unused for longer than 12 months. 

If the battery is at a voltage of 1.5V or lower, do not try recharging it. Over long periods of time a build of copper shunts can result within the battery which can cause shorts, leading to excessive heating which could result in the worst case scenario of an explosion. 

How to check if a Lithium-Ion battery is dead

The easiest way to check the voltage of a lithium-ion battery to see if it is dead is to use a Multimeter.

A multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that has a range of functions which include measuring voltage, current, resistance, continuity, diode test, frequency, etc. 

The number of electrical quantities it is capable of measuring solely depends on the complexity of the multimeter. 

However, all standard multimeters will measure the three main quantities which are voltage, current and resistance. 

To measure the voltage of a lithium-ion battery, follow the steps below;

1. Set the multimeter to voltage mode (ensure the voltage of the battery you are measuring is within the range of the multimeters capability) 
2. Connect the positive (red) lead of the multimeter to the positive terminal of the battery
3. Connect the negative (black) lead of the multimeter to the negative terminal of the battery
4. Note the voltage that the multimeter displays

Should you continue to use a Lithium-Ion battery when it is almost dead? 00

If you measure the voltage of a lithium-ion and it happens to be nearing its dead voltage of 3.4V, should you continue to use it?

No, the best option here is to recharge the battery.

Using a battery when it is almost dead can drastically reduce its lifespan.

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These mobile devices use many different types of rechargeable batteries to keep them energised, but the most common being Lithium-Ion.

Lithium-Ion batteries need to be charged once they have fully discharged. 

But, more often than not, you might need to use the device that has a lithium-ion battery when charging it. 

So, can you charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it? Yes, you can charge a Lithium Ion battery while using it, however, it’s not the best practice. Doing so will result in a lower rate of charge which means it will take longer to charge the lithium ion battery. 

There are some other issues that arise when trying to charge a lithium battery while using it which shall be discussed further in this article. 

Deeper look at how a battery is charged

Knowing the process of how a battery is charged, will help you better understand why using a Lithium-Ion battery while charging it isn’t very ideal.

There are two main classes of batteries; Primary and Secondary.

Primary batteries are one-off batteries that must be disposed of after they have fully discharged. These types of batteries can only be used once.

Secondary batteries are rechargeable. This means that when they have been fully discharged of all their energy, they can be ‘recharged’ back to their full capacity and used again. 

A Lithium-Ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery. 

They can be recharged multiple times, and their lifespan is largely dependent on their chemical composition.

How a battery charger charges a battery  

But, rechargeable batteries do not just recharge by themselves (which would be neat if they could). However, they require the aid of a battery charger.

Batteries power devices by converting stored chemical energy into electrical power (which is a product of voltage and current). 

The process when a battery releases its energy to power devices is known as discharging. While reversing the discharging process and giving energy back to a dead battery is known as recharging.  

Charging a battery involves a number of steps which include;

• Charging
• Stabilising (optimising the charging rate)
• Terminating (knowing when to stop the charging process)

Charge and Discharge rates of batteries vary from one to the next depending on factors such as their chemical compositions and size (the amount of charge they are able to hold for their given physical size).  

Discharging involves the release of electrons when a chemical reaction occurs in between the two terminals (or electrodes) and electrolyte (the substance that separates the electrodes). 

Once the chemical reaction within the battery is over, the battery is effectively out of charge (flat).

For primary (disposable) batteries this is the end of the road, however, rechargeable batteries can be recharged to be used again.

Battery chargers are used to reverse the chemical reaction process to recharge the battery. While discharging involves energy leaving the battery, charging a battery involves feeding energy back into a battery (using a battery charger) to reset the chemicals to their initial state. 

To feed energy back into a battery, battery chargers supply electric current for a predetermined period of time. 

Reasons not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

It might seem that a battery charger has a simple task of just feeding current to a Lithium-Ion battery to recharge it.

However, there is a bit more that happens within the battery charger to ensure that the battery is optimally charged while also being protected. 

So it might not be the best idea to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it. 

Let’s take a look at why. 

There are a couple of things that happen when you try to charge a Lithium-Ion battery and use it at the same time.

Reason #1 not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

Firstly when a battery is being charged, it is subjected to a voltage higher than its own. This is why current flows from the battery charger to a battery.

If you try using a Lithium-Ion battery while it is charging (for low currents), you could trigger safety circuits as it may detect the extra current as an overcurrent or short, and stop the charging process. 

For higher currents, the load will draw power from the battery charger which means that the battery isn’t going to get much current and is going to charge at a slower rate taking it a longer time to reach full capacity. 

Reason #2 not to charge a Lithium-Ion battery while using it

The second issue that arises is that every now and then, the battery charger stops charging to monitor the voltage of the Lithium-Ion battery. 

When this happens, the battery will start supplying current to the load which isn’t an ideal situation as the Lithium-Ion battery will then report a different voltage when subjected to a load, as opposed to when not under load circumstances. 

This messes up the charging process.

Can you charge a Lithium battery while using it for consumer electronics? 

The scenarios we have discussed above have mostly been with Lithium-Ion batteries that are detachable from devices (like power tools for example), where the battery charger is a separate entity.

But, many consumer electronic devices (that use Lithium-Ion batteries), have their charging circuits embedded in them.

Devices such as smartphones, smart watches, laptops, and so much more. 

These devices have come a long way, and include sophisticated charging circuits within them. 

Most of the time you would have used one of these devices while you were simultaneously charging it as well.

But, how is this possible?

These devices have been designed with charging circuits that allow one to use it and charge it at the same time. 

Engineers would have realised that sooner or later, the user would need to use their device (especially smartphones) when charging.

Note, while it may be possible, it is still not advisable to do so as you will still be slowing down the rate of charge.

What is the best way to charge a Lithium Ion Battery?

As we have just learnt, charging a battery and while using it is not good practice. Doing so will reduce the rate of charge which means it is going to take longer for the Lithium-Ion battery to reach full charge.

To charge a Lithium-Ion battery more efficiently, follow the three tips below;

1. Do not use the battery while it is charging
2. Do not charge the battery under extreme temperatures (cold or hot). Stay within moderate temperature settings
3. Avoid fully charging the battery (especially with Lithium-Ion batteries). A partial charge will extend its lifespan 

For consumer electronics like smartphones, turn the device off and then charge. This will drastically reduce the charge time. 

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However, using normal disposable batteries to power portable devices is not very efficient as you will have to constantly have to replace them. Also, disposing of them adds to the ever growing waste which is not good for the environment.

This is why Rechargeable batteries are a better option. 

Two commonly used rechargeable batteries used in portable electronic devices are Lithium Ion (LiOn) and Nickel Cadmium (NiCad).

But, can you charge a Lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger? No, you cannot charge a Lithium Ion battery using a NiCad charger. However, you can use a Lithium Ion charger to charge a Nickel Cadmium battery.

This article shall take a deeper look at Lithium-Ion and Nickel-Cadmium batteries (as well as the process of how they are charged) and why you cannot charge a Lithium Ion battery using a NiCad charger. 

Deeper look at Lithium ion batteries and NiCad batteries

To understand the question at hand, it will first help to take a closer look at the batteries and the process of charging them (I will keep it brief). 

Rather than going through unwanted information about each battery, I will cover key characteristics that for each battery. 

Lithium ion batteries

Let’s start with Lithium-Ion batteries.

Most (if not all) batteries are given their name because of the type of chemical composition they are made of. In this case, the battery uses lithium ions.

During the discharge cycle, the lithium ions move from the negative terminal (cathode), through an electrolyte to the positive terminal (anode). 

Different types of Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium Ion batteries come in a variety of shapes for different applications. 

• Small cylindrical (single cell with, solid body, with no terminals) –
• Large cylindrical (single cell,solid body, with threaded terminals)
• Flat or pouch (soft, flat body)
• Rigid plastic case (large threaded terminals) 

Other key characteristics of Lithium Ion batteries are their Nominal voltage and Current Capacity.

Nominal Voltage: This is the normal voltage that the battery operates at. Some batteries might indicate a higher voltage at full charge, however, this value will soon drop down to its nominal voltage after a predetermined amount of time. 

All the packages above come with a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts. However, cells can be connected in series to generate larger voltages.

For example, three lithium-ion cells can be connected in series to give a voltage of 11.1 volts, or four cells can be connected to give a voltage of 14.8 and so on. 

Current capacity: Is the amount of current that the battery is capable of storing. It is usually given in Amp-hours (Ah) or Milliamp-Hours (mAh). 

Lithium-Ion batteries come in a range of current capacities ranging from as low as 40 mAh all the way to 2.6 Ah. 

In order to increase the current capacity further, batteries are connected in parallel. However, this is a bit more of a complicated process as the internal impedance of the batteries need to be the same. 

What is the process of charging  lithium ion batteries?

The Lithium-Ion is a special kind of battery compared to other batteries of different chemistries. This type of battery has strict requirements when it comes to charging.

The battery charger is a voltage limiting device with some differences to other chargers. 

The key differences include;

• Higher voltage per cell
• Tighter voltage tolerances
• Absence of trickle or float charging

Trickle charging is when a battery charger is able to charge a fully charged battery at a rate equal to its self-discharge rate, which allows the battery to maintain its full charge level. 

A lithium-ion battery charger does not offer trickle charging because the battery cannot accept overcharge. The battery can become unstable if charged above its nominal voltage which could result in permanent damage.

Damage can come in the form of an explosion.

The charger comes with strict settings that adhere to the restrictions that come with charging this type of battery which  will include features such as an end-of-charge detection circuit  to monitor when the battery is fully charged. 

Different battery chargers for different lithium ion batteries

Lithium-Ion batteries are used for many different applications which include consumer electronics like smartphones, cordless power tools etc.

There are couple of scenarios when it comes to charging batteries;

1. The battery is embedded in device with a inbuilt dedicated charging circuit 
2. The battery is detachable and comes with a dedicated charging unit

The first scenario includes things like smartphones, portable speakers, smart watches, etc. They have batteries embedded in them with a dedicated in-built charging circuit which takes care of charging to make sure the lithium-ion batteries are not overcharged.

You can use most wall adapter chargers as long as they are the right voltage. 

The second scenario involves charging individual lithium-ion battery cells, or where the battery is detachable from the electronic device (like power tools).

In this scenario, they come with a dedicated charging unit where the battery is placed to be charged. 

What is the process of charging NiCad batteries?

Ni-Cad batteries are aptly named due to their chemical composition which includes nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes. 

The abbreviation combines the two symbols of the chemical elements of Nickel (Ni) and Cadmium (Cd).

NiCad batteries have a nominal voltage of 1.2 volts/cell and have current capacities that range from 600mAh to 3300mAh.

Just like lithium ion batteries, batteries can be connected in series to increase its voltage, or connected in parallel to increase the current capacity. 

NiCad batteries can be trickle charged. 

Can you charge a lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger?

So, we come to the main question. 

Can you charge a lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger? No, you cannot charge a lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger. 

But, why not? 

The main reason that you cannot charge a lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger comes down to the process of charging each battery and how the charger works to charge them.

Lithium ion batteries are much more fragile when it comes to charging them. As we saw earlier, you cannot trickle charge this type of battery as it becomes unstable when pushed past the limits of its full charge voltage. 

Therefore, lithium ion chargers are built with a specific type of end-of-charge detection charging circuit which has the role of monitoring the battery’s voltage level and stopping charge when required. 

On the other hand, NiCad batteries can be trickle charged. This means their chargers will keep charging them at a steady uniform rate to maintain full charge. 

Most of the time, NiCad chargers do not include an end-of-detection charging circuit. They can just include a power resistor to limit the current at which the NiCad batteries are charged at. 

So, you can see where the problem lies if you try charging lithium ion batteries with a NiCad charger. The NiCad charger might not have an end-of-detection circuit to stop charging the lithium ion battery at the right voltage which can cause it to become unstable and possibly cause damage to it. 

What will happen if you try to charge a lithium ion battery with a NiCad charger?

As we just learnt, lithium ion batteries become unstable when they are charged past their nominal voltage. This is the main reason lithium chargers do not use trickle charging.

If you charge a lithium ion battery using a NiCad charger, the charger will not know when to stop charging the battery and therefore its nominal voltage will be exceeded.

Exceeding the battery’s voltage causes the cathode terminal to become an oxidizing agent which results in the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). 

The higher the voltage the greater the production of CO2 which then causes the pressure to rise leading to the membrane of the battery bursting and causing permanent damage.

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Your chances of calling for help are very limited.

A Power Bank would be able to solve your problems.

It is a portable battery charger capable of charging many devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, portable speakers, bluetooth headphones and much more.

A power bank contains a rechargeable battery capable of storing charge which can then be later used to charge the electronic devices mentioned above.

But, is a power bank a lithium ion battery? Lithium Ion batteries are the most commonly used rechargeable batteries used in power banks due to them having a high energy density and low discharge rate as well as being cost effective. 

There are other types of rechargeable battery available which can include Lithium-Polymer (Li-Po) and Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cad) that are used for power banks. 

The power bank

The power bank helps solve many problems, the main one being that you can charge your devices when you are not at home or office where a power outlet is located.

It gives you peace of mind when travelling far places where these power outlets become harder to find.

Let’s take a close look at the power bank. 

At the heart of the power bank is the Rechargeable battery. 

Without this main component the power bank would be useless. 

A rechargeable battery has the ability to be charged, discharged into a load and then recharged multiple times.

Normal batteries (disposable ones) can only be used once and then have to be disposed of not making them a viable option for power banks. 

Other parts of the power bank include; Charging circuit, Battery protection circuit, and Boost converter.

Charging circuit

The main purpose of the charging circuit is to provide a constant DC (direct current) or pulsed DC power to the rechargeable battery of the power bank.

Battery protection circuit

There are going to instances when you charge the power bank and forget to remove the charger, leaving it plugged in longer than required.

Lucky for us, the battery protection has the job of protecting the power bank’s battery from overcharging.

It also protects the battery from high temperatures.

Boost converter

The boost converter circuit in the power bank steps low voltages between 3.7 – 3.85 volts to the standard operating voltage of 5 volts (which is used by most electronic devices). 

Why do power banks use a lithium ion battery?

Lithium ion rechargeable batteries aren’t the only batteries available when designing a power bank, however, they are the most common.

Early on, Nickel-Cadmium was the go rechargeable battery for portable equipment and wireless communication.

Lithium ions are now the preferred battery of choice, being used in almost all portable electronics and they can even be found in Electric vehicles. 

The Lithium Ion battery contains electrolytes which lithium ions travel through from the negative to the positive electrode. 

Compared to Nickel-Cadmium batteries, Lithium Ion batteries have a higher energy density (typically double), but there is room to increase the energy density further. 

Also, the lithium ion battery has lower maintenance compared to other rechargeable batteries. There is no memory and schedule cycling is not required to prolong the life of the battery. 

Below are other characteristics of the Lithium Ion Battery;

Lithium- ion vs Lithium polymer power bank. Which is better for a power bank?

We saw that Nickel-Cadmium batteries were used earlier on in the infancy of portable technology, and nowadays Lithium Ion batteries are the popular choice. 

But, there is another rechargeable battery that is quite popular, and that is the Lithium-Polymer rechargeable battery. 

Which battery is better for a power bank? 

Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both batteries which will give us a better indication of which is the better choice for a power bank.

Lithium-Ion Advantages

• High energy density
• Low self-discharge 
• Low maintenance
• Speciality cells can be used for high current applications

Lithium-Ion Disadvantages

• Requires protection circuit to protect against over voltage and currents 
• Can age relatively fast if not stored in cool environments
• Expensive to manufacture
• Still in evolutionary phase (lots of improvements are being made)

Lithium-Polymer Advantages

• Sleek, compact design 
• Flexible
• Lightweight
• Improved safety

Lithium-Polymer disadvantages

• Lower energy density and decreased cycle count
• No standard sizes
• Higher cost-to-energy ratio

So, there are the advantages and disadvantages of both the batteries. 

But, how do we know which is better to use in a power bank?

There are a couple requirements to consider of what will make an effective power bank which is ultimately determined by the battery. 

• Cost
• Life cycle
• Capacity 

Cost

First on the list is cost. 

With anything you buy, you do not want it to cost you an arm or leg. 

The same can be said when buying a power bank. 

While both batteries are relatively expensive to manufacture, the cost to energy ratio of the Lithium Polymer battery is higher. 

So, it is more cost effective to use a Lithium-Ion battery for a power bank as it will cost you less to get the same amount of energy as a Lithium-Polymer battery. 

Life Cycle

It would be pointless if you could only use your power bank 10 times and then have to dispose of it. 

The aim is to have a power bank that will last you a long time. 

The life cycle of a power bank is the amount of times you can charge and discharge it before the battery wears out. 

There are many factors that determine the life cycle of a battery like capacity, storage, etc.

But, generally, Lithium-Ion batteries are known to have a higher cycle count compared to their Lithium-Polymer counterparts. 

Capacity

Finally on the list of requirements for an effective power bank is its capacity

The capacity of a power bank is the amount of charge it can store and thus charge other portable electronic devices.

It wouldn’t make sense if a power bank held less charge than your mobile phone. 

This would mean that you would have to charge the power bank a couple of times in order to fully charge your mobile phone rendering the power bank ineffective. 

The capacity of a power bank correlates directly with the energy density of the battery it uses. 

The higher energy density of the battery the more power it will be able to store and therefore charge your portable electronic device multiple times. 

Lithium-Ion batteries have higher energy density than Lithium-Polymer batteries.

So, you can see that the Lithium Ion meets all three requirements which determines the effectiveness of a power bank making it the better option.

Health and Safety concerns with lithium ion battery power banks?

While they have their many advantages and reasons to be used in a power bank, Lithium-Ion batteries are known for exploding and catching fire.

Due to this they have many restrictions when taking them on flights especially as carry-on luggage.

So, check with you the airline you might be flying with for what restrictions they have for power banks that use Lithium-Ion batteries. 

Always store the power bank in a cool place and out of direct sunlight.

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