Applying ‘extreme heat’ to lithium-ion batteries reportedly restores their capacity, and I think it could be the sustainable tech breakthrough of 2025

Would you heat your earbuds’ lithium-ion batteries to over 300F / 150C to make ‘em charge like new? Research suggests there might be some benefit to doing so – but also, please don’t do it. Why shouldn’t you take matters into your own hands and pop your flagging buds in the oven? Because while new research suggests that extreme heat could completely restore your tech’s onboard (and decidedly planet-unfriendly) lithium-ion batteries, it could also make them burst into flames in a state called thermal runaway. Researchers at China’s Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering have found a way to…