Internal Structure Of Li-SOCl2 Battery

In general, batteries generate current by connecting a load and moving electrons from the negative to the positive. In a lithium thionyl chloride battery, electrons generated by ionization of lithium (Li) in the negative electrode flow to the positive electrode via the load. At the positive electrode, thionyl chloride (SOCl2) that accepts electrons will chemically react with lithium ions to become lithium chloride and other substances (LiCl, S, SO2).

Therefore, lithium ions move between the two poles through the separator inserted between the positive and negative electrodes inside the battery, that is, the energy of a lithium thionyl chloride battery is generated based on the chemical reaction of lithium and thionyl chloride into lithium chloride chemical energy. Therefore, if the chemical reaction does not proceed smoothly, it will become a "battery dead" state. Natural discharge is a phenomenon in which electrons generated by the negative electrode move to the positive electrode through the interior of the battery and undergo chemical reactions. If there are few chemical reactions in the battery, the natural discharge speed will be very slow. In most dry batteries, although the separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes hinders electron movement, the electrons actually move slowly, causing spontaneous discharge.