“Lithium battery starvation” refers to the phenomenon in which a lithium battery, due to excessive discharge, experiences a voltage drop below its safe lower limit (typically 2.5 V or lower), leading to irreversible chemical and physical damage within the cell and ultimately resulting in complete failure.

To put it metaphorically, it’s like a person who has suffered from severe, prolonged malnutrition: once the body’s vital functions have been irreparably damaged, even providing food afterward will no longer restore them.

First, what is the process of “starvation to death”?

The normal operating voltage of a lithium battery is typically between 3.0V - 4.2V between them. As the voltage continues to drop, several stages will be experienced:

Deep over-discharge : When the cell voltage is below 2.5V At around that time, it has already entered a state of deep over-discharge.

Copper dissolution : This is the most critical step. The negative current collector in lithium batteries is copper foil. Under normal voltages, copper is stable. However, when the voltage drops too low, the copper foil begins to oxidize and dissolve into the electrolyte. This process Irreversibly damages the internal structure of the battery. 。

Internal Microshort Circuit : Dissolved copper ions migrate within the battery and eventually deposit as “copper dendrites,” which penetrate the separator between the positive and negative electrodes, leading to Internal Microshort Circuit 。

Voltage Zeroing and Bulging : Internal short circuits act like a tiny black hole, continuously draining the battery’s remaining charge and causing the voltage to plummet rapidly to 0 V. At the same time, the short circuit and overcharging generate large amounts of gas, leading to battery Bulge 。

Completely失效 At this point, the battery has been “starved to death,” with its internal structure completely damaged and no longer capable of storing electrical energy.

II. The Connection Between “Starvation to Death” and Your Previous Case

The single-cell voltage is 0 V. : This is precisely the ultimate outcome of “starvation.”

Battery swelling : This is a typical manifestation of internal short circuits and gas generation due to chemical reactions.

The voltages of the remaining series-connected cells are normal. This perfectly explains the scenario in which a cell “dies of starvation.” Precisely because the other cells are still “alive,” once the faulty cell—perhaps due to excessive self-discharge or aging—is depleted first, the series-connected circuit will “force” the current to continue flowing through that now-depleted cell, further driving down its voltage until it is completely “starved” and fails.

III. The Relationship Between “Starvation” and the “Protection Board”

You might be wondering: why, despite having a protection board, does the battery still “starve”?

The function of a protection board : The over-discharge protection function of the protection board is typically activated when the cell voltage drops below 2.4V - 2.8V Cut off the output at the appropriate time. Its purpose is Prevent The battery has entered a “starvation” state.

Why did it become invalid? ：

Cell inconsistency : In a three-cell battery pack, if one cell reaches the protection voltage threshold earlier than the other two due to aging or high internal resistance, the protection board will detect “low total voltage” or “single-cell low” and shut off the circuit. However, if that particular cell has an extremely rapid self-discharge rate, even after the circuit is cut, it will continue to leak current on its own and drop to 0 V within a few hours or days. The protection board can prevent external devices from drawing power, but it cannot stop the battery from… Internal self-discharge 。

Long-term idleness : When a battery pack is left unused for an extended period after being fully charged, the protection board itself will draw a small standby current. If the pack is stored for several months or even a year, this tiny current can gradually deplete the battery to the point of over-discharge.

IV. Summary

“Lithium batteries starve to death” It simply means that the battery is due to Over-discharge (due to) low voltage Permanent internal structural damage The state of.

For batteries that have already “starved to death,” especially those that have already swollen, Absolutely do not attempt to “activate” it. The so-called “activation using high voltage” is an extremely dangerous practice that can easily lead to severe internal short circuits, intense heat generation, smoking, and even fire or explosion.

Safe methods for handling “starved” swollen batteries:
Treat it as a hazardous material, place it in a fire-resistant container, and contact a professional recycling facility for proper disposal. Do not disassemble, recharge, or dispose of it indiscriminately. 。