Show CartThe term “memory” was originally derived from “cyclic memory”; meaning that a nickel-cadmium battery could remember how much energy was drawn on preceding discharges. On a longer than scheduled discharge, the voltage would rapidly drop and the battery would lose power. Improvements in battery technology have virtually eliminated this phenomenon.
The problem with nickel-cadmium batteries is not so much the cyclic memory but the effects of crystalline formation. The active cadmium material is present in finely divided crystals. In a good battery, these crystals remain small, obtaining maximum surface area. With memory, however, the crystals grow and conceal the active material from the electrolyte. In advanced stages, the sharp edges of the crystals may even penetrate the separator, causing high self-discharge or electrical short.
When introduced in the early 1990s, nickel-metal-hydride was promoted as being memory-free. Today, we know that this chemistry is also affected but to a lesser degree than nickel-cadmium. The nickel plate, a metal that is shared by both chemistries, is partly to blame. While nickel-metal-hydride has only the nickel plate to worry about, nickel-cadmium also includes the memory-prone cadmium plate. This is a non-scientific explanation why nickel-cadmium is affected more than nickel-metal-hydride.
So, as with our own memories, sometimes it is best not to remember – but to forget and move on!
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