What are they and when can they explode?

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The official reports that were released this Thursday regarding the tragic fire in Nueva Córdoba that cost the lives of two students from Jujuy determined that the cause of the fire was the overheating of the lithium battery of a notebook that was in the department’s dining room. and it remained plugged in.

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized human life and are used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles. Their popularity is due to the advantages they present over others of a different type. Among other points, they charge faster, are more powerful, have greater durability and are environmentally friendly.

According to specialists, these devices can catch fire if there is an overload or direct exposure to a heat source. It is estimated that one in 10 million batteries can fail. The possibility of a lithium battery exploding exists, although experts say this probability is low. Millions of devices in the world use them and reports of explosions are one in 10 million.

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These devices are designed to supply energy to different technological devices, although their most everyday use is cell phones. Argentina has one of the world‘s main reserves of lithium, the chemical element that is one of the main components of these batteries and which in its pure form is a soft, silver-white metal that oxidizes quickly in air or water.

The German John B. Goodenough, the British Stanley Whittingham and the Japanese Akira Yoshino were responsible for developing lithium batteries, an innovation that was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the work of the three scientists laid the foundation for a wireless, fossil fuel-free society.

In the early 1970s, Whittingan used the enormous momentum of lithium to release its outermost electron, leading to the development of the first functional lithium battery.

Are lithium batteries dangerous?

Specialists say that lithium batteries can catch fire if there is an overload or direct exposure to a heat source. It is estimated that one in 10 million batteries can fail. But that is no guarantee that they cannot cause a disaster like the one that happened, according to experts, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta, in 2022, in which five people died after an apartment caught fire or the tragic fire in Nueva Córdoba in April. last.

Lithium batteries are made up of two electrodes: a cathode and an anode. These two components are joined by an electrolyte, a substance that closes the circuit and causes the battery to release electricity little by little. The three components form a cell. Batteries are made up of several cells.

Mauricio Reinoso, a technician specialized in skateboards, added that the issue of the battery or charge failing is very difficult because these battery packs are already prepared, they even have a plate that regulates the distribution of battery charge and collaborates in its proper functioning to that all cells are charged and discharged evenly.

Reinoso recalled that the instructions regarding the maintenance and use of batteries recommend not exceeding their exposure to an environment of more than 50 degrees Celsius, and maintained that it is recommended to avoid exposing them to a charge greater than that indicated by the manufacturer.

How to prevent a battery from exploding

As with other alkali metals, lithium is highly flammable and can explode. For this reason, and although it is not exactly common for a lithium battery to explode, it is advisable to treat them with care to avoid a mishap, something that is also not difficult at all, since it consists of taking a couple of basic aspects into account.

The first is to keep them away from any surface or element that could catch fire (sofas, beds, blankets, carpets) or expose them to extreme temperatures. The second is to try not to hit them or cause them to suffer physical deterioration and the third, something that is also good for the health of the device, is not to make strange mixtures when using them. That is, do not use chargers of poor capacity, cables in poor condition or defective plugs.