Acer :: Lithium Ion Battery Care

Why does a lithium ion laptop battery degrade over time?

The reason is quite simple. The way a lithium ion battery works is by moving lithium ions and electrons from one electrode of the battery to the other. The electrons move trough your your laptop circuitry to power it, while the lithium ions move trough some fluid to balance the electrons movement. If the lithium ions can't move through the fluid then the electrons can't move through your computer either. The problem is that the fluid that allows the lithium ions to move from electrode to electrode degrade and dry over time. As it becomes more and more difficult for the lithium ions to move it also becomes more and more difficult for the battery to power your laptop.

What makes the fluid containing the lithium ions degrade?

The fluid containing the lithium ions will naturally degrade over time at room temperature, but there are several factors that will accelerate the degradation. The first one is heat: the hotter the laptop battery the faster the fluid gets dry. The second factor is charge cycles. When you recharge your laptop battery this generates significant heat in the battery and helps degrade the fluid. Leaving the battery constantly charged also has a negative effect on the life of the fluid.............