Battery self discharging is a persistent phenomenon, whereby batteries shed their charge even while they are standing idle. This affects battery life between recharging cycles, which knocks on to shorter talk time, and affects driving range too. Scientists at U.S. Argonne National Laboratory are drilling down into the reasons behind auto-discharging, using lithium-ion batteries as their test bed.
A Series of Chemical Reactions Behind Battery Self Discharge.
Autonomous battery self discharge is the outward sign of a series of rogue chemical reactions inside the case. If scientists could find a way to prevent or mitigate these events, then batteries might be smaller, lighter, and cheaper.
Battery self discharging occurs in all rechargeable electro-chemical batteries, regardless of brand or type. The process “gradually consumes precious functional battery materials, and deposits undesired side products on the surface of the battery components,” according to the Argonne press release we link to below.
Researchers at Argonne are drilling down into this phenomenon, that causes ongoing degradation of battery performance. Their study centers on examining the battery cathode, which releases energy to the external circuit.
Current thinking around lithium-ion batteries suggests the root cause of battery self discharging might be either lithium loss, or oxygen release from the cathode. But another option suggests that the electrode might break down on the cathode surface.
Argonne Scientists Are Working to Close This Knowledge Gap
Battery electrolytes transfer charge-carrying ion particles between cathodes and anodes, in electro-chemical batteries. The cathode is the focus of this particular research, because it is the origin of this energy.
The Argonne team has discovered a new mechanism in lithium-ion batteries they call “cathode hydro-generation”. This is helping them understand the lithium cathode chemistry behind battery self discharging.
We wish them good fortune, as they seek new ways to build smaller, lighter, and cheaper batteries that last longer, without affecting their critical performance.
More Information
Battery Self Discharge and How to Manage It
Using Combustion to Form Cathode Materials
