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Cell phones and most other mobile devices rely on rechargeable batteries as their primary source of energy.

Many individuals, however, do not understand how rechargeable batteries and the cell phone chargers that charge them work. By understanding the basics of batteries and battery charging, cell phone users can not only understand how their cell phone charger functions, but learn how to get the most out of the charging process.

Overview of Battery Charging


All batteries and their chargers function based on the principle of converting stored chemical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. When a battery is connected to an electronic device, the chemical energy that is stored in the battery is converted into electrical energy through a reaction in the battery itself. When the battery is connected to a charger of some type, however, the reaction is reversed and electrical energy is converted back into chemical energy that is stored in the battery.

Lithium-ion Battery Charging


Most cell phones use rechargeable batteries with a lithium-ion chemistry as their source of power. Inside of a lithium-ion battery, there is a cathode made up of lithium metal oxide and an anode made up of carbon, separated by an electrolyte conductor. When the cell phone is connected to a charger, the lithium ions in the battery flow from the cathode to the anode; when the phone is in operation and disconnected from the charger, the lithium ions flow in the opposite direction.

Different Types of Chargers


There are several different types of cell phone chargers, each of which uses the same principles for charging the cell phone's battery. Standard wall chargers use the electrical energy produced by a power outlet to charge the battery, car chargers use the electrical energy produced by the car's battery to charge the battery and USB chargers use the electrical energy produced by the computer or other device's battery or power supply to charge the battery. In each case, electrical energy is sent through the charger and converted into stored chemical energy in the battery itself.

Charging Stages
When a cell phone is first connected to a charger, it is in the first stage of charging. Here, the battery's voltage increases quickly and significantly, due to a constant current from the charger. The battery enters into the second stage once its voltage peaks and current from the charger begins to decrease. At stage three of the charging process, the battery is fully charged and the charger cuts the current off from the cell phone completely. After this, the battery enters into stage four, standby mode, in which the charger only supplies the battery with a topping charge when the battery cells drop below a specified voltage.

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