Scientists have figured out why cell phone batteries are discharged without use and even when turned off

Have you noticed that you telephone consume battery even if it’s out of date? Canadian scientists decided to investigate the issue and found an answer to it.

“This is completely unexpected and probably not thought of by anyone,” Michael Metzger, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University, said after the study.

Why is my disused cell phone running out of power?

While the computer’s background processes are an additional answer, the researchers point out that the small pieces of tape holding the battery components together are made from the wrong kind of plastic.

batteries They release energy through a chemical reaction. Inside every cell battery, there are two types of metal. One acts as the positive electrode and the other as the negative electrode. These electrodes are held in a liquid or paste electrolyte, which is often a form of lithium.

When connecting cables to each end batteryelectrons flow through the wires, powering light bulbs, laptops, or anything else in the circuit, and return to battery. The problem starts if these electrons don’t follow the wires.

When electrons move from one charged side battery to another through the electrolytic liquid, this is called self-discharge. battery it works inside without electric current supply. This is why fully charged devices can slowly drain when turned off.

“During these days, batteries they are very good,” Metzger said. “But like any product, you want to improve it. And you want to eliminate even small self-discharge charges.”

How did they know?

Dalhousie University’s battery lab has dozens of battery cells batteries Experimental cells are charged and discharged over and over again at ambient temperatures up to 85°C for research purposes. CBC.

In their test, they found that the errors were related to dimethyl terephthalate (DMT). This is the substance that carries electrons inside batteryinstead of flowing through wires and generating electricity.

Through chemical analysis, the team realized that the structure of DMT was similar to another molecule: polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Piece by piece, the team analyzed the components battery. They realized that the thin strips of metal and insulation, tightly coiled inside the casing, were glued together. These little pieces of tape were made from PET, a plastic that caused the electrolyte to turn red and cause the battery to self-discharge. battery.

The team even suggested a solution to the problem: use a slightly more expensive but more stable plastic composite. One option is polypropylene, which is commonly used to make more durable plastic items such as outdoor furniture or refillable water bottles.

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