{"id":355836,"date":"2026-03-30T22:15:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/355836\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:15:16","slug":"why-do-batteries-eventually-fail-new-research-provides-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/355836\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Batteries Eventually Fail? New Research Provides Insights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inside nearly every battery you use is a collection of electrode particles arranged similarly to the stars that make up our galaxy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, researchers have understood those particles, particularly in in lithium-ion batteries, to be fixed and remain relatively stable throughout a battery\u2019s life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet new research published in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/full\/10.1126\/science.aea2763\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sciene<\/a>\u201d overturns that long held assumption, showing that many of these particles move more like shooting stars or meteors, adding a new dimension to our understanding of battery degradation, explained Juner Zhu, a Northeastern University professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and one of the authors of the research.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings could help lay the groundwork for longer-lasting and more reliable batteries by providing documentation and analysis on the chemical reactions and mechanical properties that cause those particles to move the way they do, the researchers said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using motion tracking mapping and advanced X-ray imaging of three-dimensional objects, the team, which included experts from the University of Texas at Austin, observed that those electrode particles can move quite dynamically and far while a battery is in use.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These movements are caused primarily by evolving and ever-changing chemical reactions inside the battery, causing the particles to move at different rates throughout the battery\u2019s life, Zhu and his team theorized. In this way, batteries could be understood almost as \u201cliving systems\u201d changing over time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He compared it to the human life cycle. The recommended food and exercise we should receive as babies is much different than the food and exercise we receive as adults and seniors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Batteries, the researchers have uncovered, are the same way. They require different amounts of management early in their life cycle compared to their middle and end of life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"733\" width=\"1100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_039.jpg\" alt=\"Researcher Juner Zhu, wearing safety glasses and gloves, reaches into a lab chamber while working on electric vehicle battery research at Northeastern\u2019s Kostas Research Institute in Burlington, Massachusetts.\" class=\"wp-image-294470\"  \/>Juner Zhu, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, said batteries are dynamic systems. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Better understanding this phenomenon could be key in helping reduce battery degradation and in developing smarter battery control management systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause [these particles] are dynamically evolving, our control strategy should also be dynamically evolving,\u201d he said. \u201cOur algorithms should evolve for our batteries to last longer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7089\" height=\"4726\" data-id=\"294469\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_032.jpg\" alt=\"A researcher in a lab coat and safety glasses examines equipment while working on electric vehicle battery research at Northeastern\u2019s Burlington campus.\" class=\"wp-image-294469\"  \/>03\/27\/26 \u2013 BURLINGTON, MA. \u2013 Juner Zhu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering, works on electric vehicle battery research, inside The Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University Innovation campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on March 27, 2026. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6675\" height=\"4450\" data-id=\"294468\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_031.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of gloved hands handling materials in a laboratory, part of electric vehicle battery research.\" class=\"wp-image-294468\"  \/>03\/27\/26 \u2013 BURLINGTON, MA. \u2013 Juner Zhu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering, works on electric vehicle battery research, inside The Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University Innovation campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on March 27, 2026. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7496\" height=\"4997\" data-id=\"294471\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_043.jpg\" alt=\"A researcher stands inside a large, high-tech lab with industrial equipment at the Kostas Research Institute.\" class=\"wp-image-294471\"  \/>03\/27\/26 \u2013 BURLINGTON, MA. \u2013 Juner Zhu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering, works on electric vehicle battery research, inside The Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University Innovation campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on March 27, 2026. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7519\" height=\"5013\" data-id=\"294472\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_044.jpg\" alt=\"Gloved hands connect wires on a battery testing setup during electric vehicle research.\" class=\"wp-image-294472\"  \/>03\/27\/26 \u2013 BURLINGTON, MA. \u2013 Juner Zhu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering, works on electric vehicle battery research, inside The Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University Innovation campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on March 27, 2026. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4516\" height=\"3011\" data-id=\"294466\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/032726_MM_Juner_Zhu_003.jpg\" alt=\"A researcher peers into a microscope while working with lab equipment during battery research.\" class=\"wp-image-294466\"  \/>03\/27\/26 \u2013 BURLINGTON, MA. \u2013 Juner Zhu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering, works on electric vehicle battery research, inside The Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University Innovation campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on March 27, 2026. Photo by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<br \/>\nPhotos by Matthew Modoono\/Northeastern University<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zhu said much work still needs to be done to prove his theory and he is working on new research with collaborators in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m very excited because this overturns our traditional paradigm,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the exciting part, and I think we should explore this more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inside nearly every battery you use is a collection of electrode particles arranged similarly to the stars that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[38144,1709,111,139,69,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-355836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-batteries","9":"tag-electronics","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}