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      "id": "term:external-short-circuit",
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      "label": "External short circuit",
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        "name": "External short circuit",
        "section": "topic-safety",
        "definition": "A low-resistance connection between the terminals outside the cell, driving currents of hundreds of amperes. Fuses, the current interrupt device and a positive-temperature-coefficient element are the layers of protection against it.",
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          "internal-short-circuit",
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        "mentions": []
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      "id": "term:self-discharge",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Self-discharge",
      "properties": {
        "id": "self-discharge",
        "name": "Self-discharge",
        "section": "topic-charging",
        "definition": "The slow loss of stored charge while a cell is not in use. An unexpected rise can signal a leakage path or a soft internal short.",
        "unit": "%/month",
        "related": [
          "internal-short-circuit",
          "calendar-aging",
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        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/self-discharge/",
        "mentions": []
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:internal-short-trigger-device",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Internal short-circuit trigger device",
      "properties": {
        "id": "internal-short-trigger-device",
        "name": "Internal short-circuit trigger device",
        "aka": [
          "ISC device",
          "NREL/NASA ISC device",
          "implantable short-circuit device"
        ],
        "section": "topic-testing",
        "definition": "A small device built into a cell during assembly that creates an internal short circuit on demand: a thin wax layer keeps two conductors apart until the cell is heated past the wax’s melting point, roughly 40–60 °C. Developed by NREL with NASA, it reproduces latent field shorts more realistically than nail penetration.",
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          "internal-short-circuit",
          "nail-penetration",
          "propagation-test",
          "thermal-runaway",
          "abuse-testing"
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        "mentions": [
          "short-circuit"
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      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:electronic-path",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Electronic path",
      "properties": {
        "id": "electronic-path",
        "name": "Electronic path",
        "section": "topic-electrochemistry",
        "definition": "The route electrons take during operation: from active particle through carbon additive to the foil, out through the tab and the external circuit, and back in at the other electrode. Everything on it adds resistance.",
        "related": [
          "ionic-path",
          "current-collector",
          "conductive-additive",
          "internal-resistance"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-anatomy/#discharge",
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/electronic-path/",
        "mentions": [
          "electrode"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:burr",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Burr",
      "properties": {
        "id": "burr",
        "name": "Burr",
        "aka": [
          "burrs",
          "edge burr",
          "slitting burr",
          "slitter burr"
        ],
        "section": "topic-manufacturing",
        "definition": "A sharp raised lip of foil, or a loose flake of coating, left at a cut electrode edge by slitting or notching. The separator is only about 10–25 µm thick, so a burr of similar height can pierce it under stack pressure and cause an internal short circuit; edges are therefore inspected and worn knives replaced before burrs grow.",
        "related": [
          "slitting",
          "notching",
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          "laser-cutting"
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        "mentions": [
          "electrode",
          "coating",
          "stack-pressure",
          "short-circuit"
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      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:metal-particle-contamination",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Metal particle contamination",
      "properties": {
        "id": "metal-particle-contamination",
        "name": "Metal particle contamination",
        "aka": [
          "metal particle",
          "metallic contamination",
          "foreign particles"
        ],
        "section": "topic-manufacturing",
        "definition": "Stray fragments of iron, copper, zinc or steel from raw materials, worn equipment or cutting. A particle tens of micrometres across can pierce the separator, or dissolve and regrow across it, causing high self-discharge or a latent internal short circuit — the cause of the 2006 laptop battery recalls. Magnetic filters, cleanroom discipline and K-value screening keep them out.",
        "related": [
          "internal-short-circuit",
          "cleanroom",
          "k-value",
          "self-discharge",
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        "mentions": [
          "separator",
          "short-circuit"
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    {
      "id": "lesson:fundamentals/cell-anatomy/",
      "type": "Lesson",
      "label": "Lesson 1 · Cell anatomy",
      "properties": {
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/fundamentals/cell-anatomy/"
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    },
    {
      "id": "reference:feng-runaway",
      "type": "Reference",
      "label": "Thermal runaway mechanism of lithium ion battery for electric vehicles: A review",
      "properties": {
        "title": "Thermal runaway mechanism of lithium ion battery for electric vehicles: A review",
        "publisher": "Energy Storage Materials",
        "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2017.05.013",
        "type": "Review article",
        "scope": "Electrical, mechanical and thermal abuse; thermal-runaway mechanisms and propagation.",
        "year": 2018,
        "authors": [
          "Xuning Feng et al."
        ],
        "accessed": "2026-10-27"
      }
    }
  ]
}