Phone Batteries Explode is a hot topic now due to the Samsung flagship’s scandal – Galaxy Note 7 fire hazard. Lithium-Ion Batteries are used in almost everything from phones, laptops, and electric cars or even in planes. So why can this type of battery explode? Let’s see how it works! 

What is Lithium-Ion Phone Batteries? Why can they explode?

Lithium-ion batteries are relatively different from basic AA used for TV. They can be recharged many times to continue to provide energy. Lithium-ion batteries are usually mounted directly inside the device and contained Lithium chemistry. Lithium-ion batteries are particularly common in electronic devices such as laptops and phones because it is capable of storing energy efficiently. The energy supplied in Lithium-ion batteries is often 2 to 4 times more than older technologies.

Like other batteries, Lithium-ion batteries work by storing and releasing energy through controlled chemical reactions.  Lithium-ion batteries have two electrodes facing each other, and that’s where the power lines come in and go out. The positive electrode containing negative ions. The negative electrode contains positive ions and lithium. When used, the lithium moving from the cathode to the anode, and when you’re charging, it will move back to the cathode. 

So what is the problem? To ensure that lithium-ion move easily between the two electrodes, the flammable and volatile compounds have been compressed inside the battery. When charged, the battery produces heat and if this heat is not controlled in a reasonable manner, it can cause ignition inside the compound, even explosion. These compounds also become unstable if there is anything that impacts on batteries. In the case of the Galaxy Note 7, they try to send ions between electrodes too fast (to boost charging speed) but also if they try to send too much of them at once that some batteries were overheating during charging. 

Why they keep using Lithium-Ion while Phone Batteries Explode?

Samsung is said to be too ambitious for their Quick Charge technology and didn’t calculate carefully to prevent overheating problem. Not only Samsung, many other firms also had trouble with this type of battery. A sad reality is that the battery technology has stalled for years because any new invention would have to pass the inspection process rigorous safety. Despite these incidents, generally, lithium-ion is still the most secure and has low production cost. Explosion cases actually account for a very small of the number of cells present in the device are consumed each year. So check our blog more for such “hot” topics about phones!