Li+ battery charging differs from the nickel-chemistry charging schemes. A top-off charge can follow to ensure maximum energy storage in a safe manner. Li+ chargers regulate their charging voltage to an accuracy better than 0.75%, and their maximum charging rate is set with a current limit, much like that of a bench power supply (Figure 3). When fast charging begins, the cell voltage is low, and charging current assumes the current-limit value.

Figure 3. Li+ battery voltage vs. charging current.
Battery voltage rises slowly during the charge. Eventually, the current tapers down, and the voltage rises to a float-voltage level of 4.2V per cell (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Li+ battery-charging profile.
The charger can terminate charging when the battery reaches its float voltage, but that approach neglects the topping-off operation. One variation is to start a timer when float voltage is reached, and then terminate charging after a fixed delay. Another method is to monitor the charging current, and terminate at a low level (typically 5% of the limit value; some manufacturers recommend a higher minimum of 100mA). A top-off cycle often follows this technique, as well.
The past few years have yielded improvements in Li+ batteries, the chargers, and our understanding of this battery chemistry. The earliest Li+ batteries for consumer applications had shortcomings that affected safety, but those problems cannot occur in today's well-designed systems. Manufacturers' recommendations are neither static nor totally consistent, and Li+ batteries continue to evolve.