to me lithium ion batteries in phones, and how they overheat
In: Technology
In any realistic medium, electrons moving through it will have some resistance. Resistance causes energy lost to the environment by way of heat, light, and sometimes sound. Light bulbs are a great example of electricity causing light to be produced. Space heaters are the go to for heat. The more resistance, the more energy loss.
Li Ion batteries are like any electrical component and will have that resistance with use. This will build up heat. They normally act like a little electric cliff. All the electrons are put on top of the cliff and bit by bit they fall down doing the electrical work that you want them to do, powering your device. The neat part about Li Batteries is that it’s not a particularly steep cliff, so with some effort and force, you can shove those electrons back on top. When you do this, the battery will output a lot of heat since it’s not efficient. About 12% of the energy put in is lost as heat. Batteries are built to discharge energy slowly, so building up energy in them is going to have losses.
Lithium is a metal used in many modern batteries for its light weight and high performance. It’s also very volatile, burning even in water and nitrogen, so lithium batteries are packed into several layers of protective shells.
All electronics produce heat as electric current passes through them. If a device is very compact, it will transfer some of the heat to the battery; excessive heat may warp its layers, wearing out the internal structure. As a lithium battery wears out, its internal resistance grows, causing even more excess heat; it also emits flammable gases that bloat the shell.
If emergency overheat shutdown malfunctions or you neglect a visibly warped/bloated battery, it may turn into a runaway cycle of heating, rupturing the battery and turning it into a fireball.
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