Tips to Extend the Life of Your Lithium-Ion Batteries
With the passage of time, lithium-ion batteries continue to lose their life. This degradation is quite annoying. However, this can be a good thing in the eyes of smartphone manufacturers. After all, how can they sell new batteries if the old ones continue to work for years to come. However, you can follow a few simple tips in order to extend the life of these units. This can help you get the most out of your phone battery. Read on to find out more.
At the University of Michigan, teams of researchers created a list of ideal practices that can help you extend the life of your lithium-ion batteries. We know that the components of these battery packs continue to degrade with the passage of time. These components include current collectors, the separator, electrolyte, cathode, and anode.
Another study found that many factors play their role in the degradation of these battery units. And the great thing is that it is possible to avoid these factors. Let’s check out some of those avoidable factors:
First of all, you may want to protect your battery pack from extreme temperatures. This is even more important while the units are being recharged. For example, if your phone is charging but it has a high temperature, you may want to take it off. Similarly, it is not a good idea to charge your phone when the temperature is too low.
The problem is that extreme temperatures can accelerate the process of degradation of all of the components of these units. Therefore, you may want to recharge your batteries when the temperature is in the given range.
Another important mistake to avoid is to make sure your battery is not too empty or too full. In other words, make sure you don’t discharge your battery less than 20%. The reason is that it will put excessive stress on the unit causing it to degrade very quickly.
As soon as your device is fully charged, you may want to take it off. So, you may not want to leave your phone charging overnight. You may want to find a charging routine that is convenient and suitable for your phone.
Thirdly, you may not want to fast charge and discharge your device. Although these charges seem quite convenient, it can cause your battery pack to heat up, which can cause it to degrade. Similarly, you may not want to discharge your battery quickly. For example, you may not want to run power-hungry application. Therefore, you may want to use a one-ampere slow charger for your cell phones. Lastly, it is not a good idea to store your lithium-ion battery in a moist environment.
Long story short, you may want to monitor the temperature of your device and recharge and discharge at a slow rate. By following the tips given in this article, you can get the most out of your Lithium-ion batteries.
