How Do Mobile Phone Batteries Work?

Its amazing how often this question pops up here at MobyCharge HQ The fact is,we all take our smart phones, and the power they need, pretty much for granted - until the power runs out of course!

At the heart of every modern smart phone is the amazing Lithium Ion battery. These power cells are cheap, light and powerful and best of all they can be packed into a space small enough to keep your phone from looking like a brick.

You don't need to look too far back in time to see when mobile phone batteries had to, quite literally, be carried around in a shoulder bag - and even then they could only power your phone for a few minutes at a time.

However,with the development of the Lithium Ion battery we can now enjoy high powered devices that are still small enough to fit into a suit or jacket pocket and are so light that you almost forget they are there.

So how do they work?

Lithium Ion batteries are made up of thousands of individual cells - each, in effect, a small battery in its own right. These cells combine to produce the power output required to drive modern mobile phones and portable electronic devices. Each cell is made up of 3 parts:

• The Anode
• The Cathode
• An Electrolyte separator

Just like in the older - and lower powered - lead acid batteries, LIon cells have positive and negative nodes. The positive node - or Anode is made of Lithium whereas the negative node - the Cathode is usually made of graphite. So far so sciency!

Of course, to get power out of the cell , it has to be made to discharge. This happens when the positively charged Ions move from the Anode to the negatively charged Cathode, releasing electrical power in the process. The third part of the puzzle - the Electrolyte acts as a separator between the anode and cathode and forms a thermal barrier which prevents all of the energy (and heat) being released at once. In other words, damage the Electrolyte and your battery could well explode!

Charging the battery,effectively moves the ions back from the Cathode to the Anode, allowing the whole process to start again.

Of course,in order to charge your mobile phone battery, you need to have an external power source.Most of the time this will be the mains electricity supply but if you are out and about, or caught in a meeting this might not be an option. The good news is, as long as the power source can supply the required voltage then you can charge your battery in a few minutes- and that's exactly what MobyCharge does.

Of course nothing lasts forever,and that's especially true of mobile phone batteries. Dead cell syndrome is where the cells start to breakdown - either through oxidization or wear and tear on the components. A normal phone battery is usually good for 400-500 charges before it will need to be replaced.

If you notice that your phone battery is not holding its charge for as long as it used to, then even MobyCharge cant help -you need to replace the battery. However, the good news is that most mobile phone batteries can be replaced cheaply, usually for under £20.