Overheating and explosion are two of the most common
issues with smartphone batteries. While many of us still
wonder why the Li-ion batteries powering our powerful
devices face these issues, the scientists have already found
an answer to the question.
According to an IANS report, a group of scientists have been
able to track the entire process of what happens inside
lithium-ion batteries that leads to their overheating and
exploding. And their findings have been published in Nature
Communications.
According to the first author of the study, Donal Finegan
from University College London (UCL), scientists combined
high energy synchrotron X-rays and thermal imaging to map
changes to the internal structure and external temperature
of two types of Li-ion batteries as they exposed them to
extreme levels of heat.
The team then looked at the effects of gas pockets forming,
venting and increasing temperatures on the layers inside
two distinct commercial Li-ion batteries as they exposed the
battery shells to temperatures in excess of 250 degrees
Celsius. They observed that the battery with an internal
support remained largely intact up until the initiation of
thermal runaway, at which point the copper material inside
the cell melted indicating temperatures up to 1,000 degrees
Celsius. In contrast, the battery without an internal support
exploded causing the entire cap of the battery to detach and
its contents to eject.
Corresponding author of the study, Paul Shearing from UCL
is hopeful that using their method, the smartphone
manufacturers would be able to evaluate and improve the
design of safety features of batteries.
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