Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery

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What Does Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery Mean?

Nickel-metal hydride battery (NiMH) is a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in many laptop computers, as well in mobile phones, camcorders and other electronic devices.

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The negative electrode of the NiMH battery is made from a hydrogen-absorbing alloy and sometimes many different inter-metallic compounds. The positive electrode is made of nickel-oxide hydroxide, the same as in Apple Nickel-Cadmium batteries.

First released in 1989, NiMH batteries have two to three times greater charge capacity and up to 40 percent longer service life than standard nickel-cadmium batteries.

Techopedia Explains Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery

First released in 1989, NiMH batteries have two to three times greater charge capacity and up to 40 percent longer service life than standard nickel-cadmium batteries. Instead of cadmium, the negative electrode is made from a hydrogen-absorbing alloy, and many different inter-metallic compounds may be used. The positive electrode is made of nickel-oxide hydroxide as in NiCd batteries.

NiMH batteries are not expensive and perform like non-chargeable alkaline primary cells. In digital cameras and other high drain electronic devices, NiMH batteries actually outperform alkaline primary cells, as well as many other batteries.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.