Why battery’s internal resistance decreases with temperature?

AI Thread Summary
Battery internal resistance decreases with temperature due to increased electron mobility, which enhances the speed of electrochemical reactions within the cell. This phenomenon aligns with the Arrhenius equation, indicating that reaction rates rise with temperature, leading to improved current transport and lower resistance. Unlike metals, where resistance typically increases with temperature, batteries exhibit this unique behavior because they are chemical devices. Additionally, while internal resistance decreases, the cell voltage remains only weakly dependent on temperature. Understanding these principles clarifies the apparent contradiction in resistance behavior.
bobfei
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Hi,

Does battery internal resistance obey the general resistance-temperature rule?

For metal, resistance usually increases with temperature (see wikipedia).

For batteries however, its internal resistance decreases with temperature (also see wikipedia).

Could anyone explain the contradiction?


Bob
 
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The resistance of any galvanic cell such as a battery decreases as temperature increases due to increased electron mobility at higher temps.

The increased electron mobility means that the electrochemical reactions inside the cell can happen faster or easier (not sure which one it is, someone else might know) which means the internal resistance is effectively reduced.
 
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trollcast said:
The resistance of any galvanic cell such as a battery decreases as temperature increases due to increased electron mobility at higher temps.

The increased electron mobility means that the electrochemical reactions inside the cell can happen faster or easier (not sure which one it is, someone else might know vague) which means the internal resistance is effectively reduced.

Then they are consistent. Thank you!

Bob
 
Batteries are chemical devices that rely on chemical reactions to produce their 'electricity'.

Chemical reactions mostly obey the Arrhenius equation which says that the rate of reaction increases with temperature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrhenius_equation

So the faster the reactions the better the current transport and the lower the effective resistance.

Note that the cell voltage is only weakly dependent on temperature.
 
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Studiot,

I just read the wiki article and got a better understanding. Thanks!

Bob
 
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