Can lithium batteries extend their life by baking them with charcoal? Or, you may one day bake them when they are no longer in use. A proper baking of lithium batteries can prolong their service life. In the process of charging and discharging lithium batteries, with more and more cycles, the electrodes of rechargeable batteries will grow tiny dendrites similar to branches, called lithium battery electrode dendrites, such objects can lead to internal short circuits or just scrap the battery, and in serious cases, may cause a fire. Therefore, the California Institute of Technology (Howard's work University) researchers explored in detail how to decompose these dendrites through higher temperatures, to extend the service life of lithium batteries as much as possible.
A battery is composed of a positive and a negative electrode. When an electric current is generated, electrons flow out of the anode and back into the cathode through an external circuit. Some atoms in the anode lose the electrons that generate the current and turn into ions, and then the conductive liquid medium of the electrolyte moves back to the anode. This is the entire discharge process of the battery.
Charging the battery reverses this process and the ions return and attach to the anode. But the ions are not evenly attached. They form tiny bumps. After many charging cycles, they eventually grow into dendrites that resemble dendrites. When these dendrites reach and touch the cathode, they cause an internal short circuit. This is because the current is released through the dendrites and not the external circuit. The current also heats the dendritic crystals because the electrolyte is flammable and the heated dendrites can set them on fire. Even if the dendritic crystals are not short-circuited, they will fall off the anode and float in the electrolyte, so the anode will lose material and the battery will not be able to store the same amount of power. This is the process of battery capacity decay.
Caltech scientist Ashar Aryanfar said: "Dendrites are dangerous, they not only directly affect the life of lithium batteries, but also reduce the capacity of rechargeable batteries." . His research was published on the cover of the Journal of Chemical Physics." Dendritic crystal problems are common in all rechargeable batteries."
As the researchers tested the batteries, they found that heating them for a few days at 55 degrees Celsius shortened the dendrites by 36 percent. To find out exactly what caused the shrinkage, the researchers used computer simulations of the effects of heat on the individual lithium atoms that make up the dendrites, using a simplified ideal pyramidal geometry. The simulations showed that the atoms move in two ways. Atoms at the top of the pyramid may drop to a lower height, or atoms at a lower height can move and leave a hole that is then filled by another atom. These atoms move to generate enough motion to push down the dendrite.
The conclusion is that by quantifying the energy required to change the dendrite structure, researchers can better understand its structural characteristics. Although many factors affect battery life at high temperatures, such as a battery's tendency to self-discharge or other chemical reactions, this new study suggests that a little charcoal may be all that is needed to rejuvenate a battery.
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