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jack_12j t1_j37c38b wrote

I admit I only skimmed this, but it looks like they're taking advantage of colligative properties to induce the phase change... but in order to do that, they're causing ions to "flow" into a solid material so that it melts into a liquid.

I wonder how they make that happen; how, exactly, can they cause ions to flow into a solid?

[Not skeptical (necessarily), just curious]

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Jnoper t1_j385p81 wrote

I don’t know how it’s being done here but in a standard battery, there’s what’s called a salt bridge. Basically a paper towel soaked in salt water that allows ions to pass through without mixing the chemicals on both halves of the battery.

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