There seems to be a glitch with the Internet Archive. The paper from the 12th will go up as soon as that is resolved. It's a short paper so I will, in this one case, publish a copy here:
The Use of Dedicated Charge and Discharge Points of Anode Contact in Lithium Ion and Other Voltage Cells for Enhanced Durability
Samuel C. Whitney
12 November 2026
The durability of voltage cells, especially lithium ion voltage cells, is limited by the tendency of infiltrates of graphite (the active material used to make contact with the anode) gradually forming tendrils which corrupt the structural integrity of the anode material over the course of hundreds or thousands of charge/discharge cycles.
These infiltrates are able to form as a result of transient chemical bonds forming between the carbon atoms of the graphite, which is only weakly bound to itself i.e. the other carbon atoms, but which is capable, with the aid of electrical currents, of forming bonds with the anode material LiC6. A great deal of research capacity is being diverted toward finding ways to increase the life cycle of lithium ion voltage cells.
To this author, a basic element of the design of voltage cells stands out as being in need of immediate revision if we are intent on increasing the durability of voltage cells. It has been taken for granted that we ought to both charge and discharge batteries using the same electrical contacts and the same interfacial materials. As electrical contacts and anode interfaces occupy some modest amount of space and contribute modestly to design complexity, the designers of batteries have treated anodes like buildings which can function adequately with but a single, dual-use entry and exit door through which people may crash into one another. They have reasoned that one door is good enough, but they have not taken into account the effect that people bashing into the doorframe has on the structure of the building, which uses the doorframe as a load-bearing mechanism.
At the atomic level, each time a charge or discharge cycle is initiated, the physical position of the graphite/active material shifts somewhat as a result of electroweak forces introduced by the flow of current. The addition of electrons creates opportunities for molecular bonds to form between the graphite of the active material and the anode material, which also incorporates a sizable quantity of carbon. These infiltrating carbon atoms first bind to the carbons of the LiC6, then, a bit like a person scaling a wall using a series of suction cups, tentatively moves from atom to the next within the scope of an individual lithium carbide molecule, changing the specific atom to which is is bound until it can work its way gradually around to the rear of the molecule and jump to a different molecule. We can think of the graphite of the interfacial material like a stake or series of stakes which are burrowing into the sand at the beach. If we try to push that stake directly into the sand, it provides resistance. If we wiggle the stake or provide intermittent impulses of force (e.g. by hammering it,) it is able to penetrate the sand. In this case, we are hoping to prevent the stakes from taking root in the sand, but it is important to understand, for our purposes, that burrowing is resisted by ensuring that the applied force is symmetrical and steady.
Each time the flow direction of electricity through the interfacial material is inverted, opportunities are being created for molecular bonds to form between the graphite and the anode material, with multiple atomic bonds (or, at minimum, multiple intra-molecular “hops”) being required for the graphite to be pulled beneath the surface level of the anode. To use another analogy, imagine a reckless driver attempting to parallel park in a space which is too small for his vehicle and who bashes into the adjacent cars to physically move them to make room for his own vehicle. The flow of electrons, in this case, is taking “cars” made of graphite and is pushing and pulling them into the individual molecules of the anode material and causes them to migrate through that material. A force pushing graphite in but a single direction would not result in burrowing, but a cyclical push-pull, in fact, would.
With this dynamic in mind, this author believes that much of the damage caused to anodes through these charge/discharge cycles could be prevented by charging anodes through a separate pathway with discrete contacts on the outside of the battery case and through separate interfacial materials at the anode level, perhaps with each individual node in the voltage cell featuring two hemispheres, one reserved for charge and one reserved for discharge. In this way, it could be ensured that the tidal forces acting against the active material either “push” or “pull” exclusively and do not exert directionally alternating forces which give rise to infiltration/corruption of the anode material.