We use the soft, silver white metal called lithium in a variety of applications. Its main purpose is to store positively charged ions in the cathode of various types of lithium-ion batteries. An electrolyte separates it from the negatively charged anode. Provided this protection is in place, lithium-ion phone batteries are generally safe.
What Went Wrong with Galaxy Note 7 Phone Batteries
A few Galaxy Note 7 cellphones blew up when the polymer electrolyte separators failed allowing the electrodes to touch. This set off an uncontrolled positive feedback loop causing the electrolyte to react with other chemicals and release gases.
The warning signs are the phone getting hot. In an extreme case, a ‘thermal runaway’ can cause phone batteries to explode.
Fail-Safe Features That Should Be Inside Your Cellphone
This should not happen. Cellphones have built-in systems that alert us to the danger of fire. They are far less likely to harm us than fast motorcars or sugary soda drinks. They prevent us from overcharging batteries and causing them to overheat. If this protection fails, they shut down to prevent the battery from self destruction.
It is probably not a good idea to have your cellphone charging all night, or to leave it plugged in at the office at the end of the day when you go home. We can’t walk away from the problem and blame the manufacturers entirely. While it is true they specify the thickness of the batteries, all they are trying to do is flatter our vanity.
Perhaps it is time the manufacturers got together, called a truce and drew a line in the sand. We need a fail-safe method to stop cell phone batteries exploding. Making them thinner while adding to the load, is not going to resolve the problem.