How to make your phone battery last longer– Chemists …reveals why you should never let it go flat and what causes it to explode

How to make your phone battery last longer– Chemists
…reveals why you should never let it go flat and what causes it to explode

Now chemists have released a series of tips to help ensure you can get the best out of your smartphone’s battery.

They suggest never letting your device’s power to drain completely.
In lithium ion batteries like those used in most modern smartphones, this can actually reduce their capacity.

The scientists also advise not leaving your device turned off for long periods unless it is 50 per cent charged.

Allowing your phone to get too hot can also damage the battery’s lifespan and they advise keeping it cool in hot weather in the car or on the beach.

A video by the American Chemical Society said: ‘As your phone battery gets warm, the heat speeds up the chemical reactions that cause the battery to go caput.’

They explain how lithium ion batteries charge up because the flow of electrons into the device causes lithium ions from the positive electrode – or cathode – to accumulate on the negative electrode, usually an anode made from graphite.

However, when the device gets hot, the number of sites for the lithium ions to accumulate are reduced.

In some cases the battery can get so hot that it eventually explodes.

It is not yet clear whether this is behind Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 battery failure. which has caused some of its phones to explode.
The ACS states: ‘These reactions break down the electrolyte and pour products onto the anode.

‘This blocks lithium ions from nestling into the graphite. Fewer sites means less capacity and you will have to charge your phone more often.
‘Even worse, heat can start a thermal runaway.

Once the cobalt oxide (cathode) gets hot enough, it starts a cycle of reactions that throw off more and more heat’All of this heat starts to boil the liquids in your phone’s battery building pressure until the phone explodes.’

The Society also advices that due to the chemistry of lithium ion batteries, users should not allow them to run completely flat.

While previous generations of batteries that used nickel in their cathodes needed to be completely discharged to ensure they retained their capacity, the same is not true in lithium ion batteries Indeed, the chemists point out, the opposite is true.

They state: ‘When you drain your phone to zero, your phone will lose more capacity so you charges won’t last as long.

‘So make sure your phone battery doesn’t die if it’s on the verge of death. Just turn it off. ‘

They also warn that leaving your phone sitting unused for long periods of time when its battery has discharged can also harm the battery.

‘If you are leaving a fully discharged battery alone for a while, it can get unstable,’ explains the narrator in the video.

‘Fortunately for us modern batteries trip a self-destruct circuit before destabilising. Unfortunately self-destructing batteries will never work again.’

They advise that if turning your phone off while away on holiday, it is best to do so when the battery is around 50 per cent charged.

For longer periods they recommend turning the device on every six months or so to make sure it is charged to around 50 per cent.

They added: ‘This way you avoid both self-destruct and capacity loss.’

to make your phone battery last longer– Chemists
…reveals why you should never let it go flat and what causes it to explode

Now chemists have released a series of tips to help ensure you can get the best out of your smartphone’s battery.

They suggest never letting your device’s power to drain completely.
In lithium ion batteries like those used in most modern smartphones, this can actually reduce their capacity.

The scientists also advise not leaving your device turned off for long periods unless it is 50 per cent charged.

Allowing your phone to get too hot can also damage the battery’s lifespan and they advise keeping it cool in hot weather in the car or on the beach.

A video by the American Chemical Society said: ‘As your phone battery gets warm, the heat speeds up the chemical reactions that cause the battery to go caput.’

They explain how lithium ion batteries charge up because the flow of electrons into the device causes lithium ions from the positive electrode – or cathode – to accumulate on the negative electrode, usually an anode made from graphite.

However, when the device gets hot, the number of sites for the lithium ions to accumulate are reduced.

In some cases the battery can get so hot that it eventually explodes.

It is not yet clear whether this is behind Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 battery failure. which has caused some of its phones to explode.
The ACS states: ‘These reactions break down the electrolyte and pour products onto the anode.

‘This blocks lithium ions from nestling into the graphite. Fewer sites means less capacity and you will have to charge your phone more often.
‘Even worse, heat can start a thermal runaway.

Once the cobalt oxide (cathode) gets hot enough, it starts a cycle of reactions that throw off more and more heat’All of this heat starts to boil the liquids in your phone’s battery building pressure until the phone explodes.’

The Society also advices that due to the chemistry of lithium ion batteries, users should not allow them to run completely flat.

While previous generations of batteries that used nickel in their cathodes needed to be completely discharged to ensure they retained their capacity, the same is not true in lithium ion batteries Indeed, the chemists point out, the opposite is true.

They state: ‘When you drain your phone to zero, your phone will lose more capacity so you charges won’t last as long.

‘So make sure your phone battery doesn’t die if it’s on the verge of death. Just turn it off. ‘

They also warn that leaving your phone sitting unused for long periods of time when its battery has discharged can also harm the battery.

‘If you are leaving a fully discharged battery alone for a while, it can get unstable,’ explains the narrator in the video.

‘Fortunately for us modern batteries trip a self-destruct circuit before destabilising. Unfortunately self-destructing batteries will never work again.’

They advise that if turning your phone off while away on holiday, it is best to do so when the battery is around 50 per cent charged.

For longer periods they recommend turning the device on every six months or so to make sure it is charged to around 50 per cent.

They added: ‘This way you avoid both self-destruct and capacity loss.’