At present, nickel cadmium, nickel hydrogen, and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are widely used in various portable electrical devices (such as laptops, cameras, and mobile phones), and each type of rechargeable battery has its own unique chemical properties.
The main difference between nickel cadmium and Nickel–metal hydride battery is that the energy density of Nickel–metal hydride battery is relatively high. Compared with the same type of battery, the capacity of Nickel–metal hydride battery is twice that of Nickel–cadmium battery. This means that the use of Nickel–metal hydride battery can greatly extend the working time of the equipment without adding additional weight to the electrical equipment. Another advantage of Nickel–metal hydride battery is:; A greatly reduces the "memory effect" problem in cadmium batteries, so that Nickel–metal hydride battery can be used more conveniently. Nickel–metal hydride battery is more environmentally friendly than Nickel–cadmium battery, because there is no Toxic heavy metal element inside it.
Li ion has also quickly become the standard power supply for portable devices. Li ion can provide the same energy as the Nickel–metal hydride battery, but it can reduce the weight by about 35%, which is crucial for electric devices such as ten day cameras and laptops. The fact that Li ion has no "memory effect" and no toxic substances is also an important factor that makes it a standard power source. The discharge efficiency of Nickel–metal hydride battery will be significantly reduced at low temperature, and generally the charging efficiency will increase with the increase of temperature. However, when the temperature rises above 45 ℃, the performance of charging battery materials will deteriorate at high temperature, and the cycle life of the battery will be greatly shortened.