Self-discharge is a phenomenon in
batteriesAn electrical battery is a combination of one or more electrochemical cells, used to convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first Voltaic pile in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, the battery has become a common power source for many household and industrial...
in which internal chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without any connection between the electrodes. Self-discharge decreases the shelf-life of batteries and causes them to have less charge than expected when actually put to use.
How fast self-discharge in a battery occurs is dependent on the type of battery. Typically, lithium batteries suffer the least amount of self-discharge (around 2-3% discharge per month), while
nickelNickel is a chemical element, with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It is one of the four ferromagnetic elements at about room temperature, other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium...
-based batteries are more seriously affected by the phenomenon (nickel cadmium, 15-20% per month; nickel metal hydride, 30% per month).
Self-discharge is a chemical reaction, just as closed-circuit discharge is, and tends to occur more quickly at higher temperatures.
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Self-discharge is a phenomenon in
batteriesAn electrical battery is a combination of one or more electrochemical cells, used to convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first Voltaic pile in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, the battery has become a common power source for many household and industrial...
in which internal chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without any connection between the electrodes. Self-discharge decreases the shelf-life of batteries and causes them to have less charge than expected when actually put to use.
How fast self-discharge in a battery occurs is dependent on the type of battery. Typically, lithium batteries suffer the least amount of self-discharge (around 2-3% discharge per month), while
nickelNickel is a chemical element, with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It is one of the four ferromagnetic elements at about room temperature, other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium...
-based batteries are more seriously affected by the phenomenon (nickel cadmium, 15-20% per month; nickel metal hydride, 30% per month).
Self-discharge is a chemical reaction, just as closed-circuit discharge is, and tends to occur more quickly at higher temperatures. Storing batteries at lower temperatures thus reduces the rate of self-discharge and preserves the initial energy stored in the battery. Self-discharge is also thought to be reduced over time as a passivity film develops on the electrodes.
The detailed chemical causes of self-discharge depend on the particular battery and are not well understood.