A team of scientists at Penn State University in Pennsylvania has developed a method through which lithium-ion batteries can heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes and then rapidly cool down to ambient temperatures, allowing them to charge in that short time. The self-heating battery uses a thin nickel foil with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending outside the cell to create a third terminal. A temperature sensor attached to a switch causes electrons to flow through the nickel foil to complete the circuit. When charging, this rapidly heats up the nickel foil through resistance heating and warms the inside of the battery. According to the researchers, rapid heating and subsequent cooling do not cause lithium spikes, which means that heat degradation of the battery does not occur. Lithium-ion batteries degrade when rapidly charged at ambient temperatures under 50 degrees Fahrenheit because, […]