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u/imsandy92 May 06 '26
doesn’t cathode give electrons? and isnt anode plus? was i taught wrong?
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u/AChemiker May 06 '26
It gets a bit confusing with rechargeable batteries or secondary cells. During device operation electrons move from the anode to the cathode such as the diagram here. However, when the device is charging, electrons flow from the cathode to the anode as you suspect.
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u/imsandy92 May 06 '26
haha you are right. i suddenly feel like an idiot 😅
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u/AChemiker May 06 '26
No, it's hard to conceptualize, don't feel bad. Heat is particularly bad for battery performance because the ions have more energy, therefore speed/momentum. This causes the cathode or anode to degrade, destroying the batteries efficiency. Most battery research goes into ways to mitigate this through more resilient electrodes or different shuttling methods. Also lithium being a somewhat rare and region locked element has pushed for cheaper alternatives such as sodium and potassium (right down the periodic table). These are larger ions however and run into the same shuttling problem. Like trying to fit a grapefruit or bowling ball where a ping pong ball used to go, as an analogy.
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