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SCIENTIST
Batteries and how they work
Words: Richard Cunningham, PhD
E
-cigarettes work by rapidly heating up an e-liquid to
transform it into an aerosolised vapour which can then
be inhaled. Metal coils, which are typically used as
heating elements, can reach temperatures ranging from 110-
185°C (when fully wet) and one or more batteries are used as an
energy source.
A battery is a device which stores chemical energy that can then
be converted into electricity. At the basics, batteries consist of
two electrodes, an anode, cathode and electrolyte. The anode is
usually carbon and the cathode a metal oxide and between them
is the electrolyte which is a substance that allows the flow of
electrical charge between them. The electrodes are separated by a
polymer sheet which still allows the movement of ions through the
electrolyte but prevents the electrodes coming in contact.
In order to produce electricity, you must have somewhere for
electrons to flow. During the discharge of electricity such as
powering an e-cigarette and a full external circuit is made, the anode
releases electrons and ions from the electrolyte, while at the same
time the cathode accepts electrons, completing the circuit.
Lithium ion-based batteries are the mainstay in powering e-cigarettes,
wherein Li2+ ions control the chemistry, producing current.
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