Electrical battery de-bonding

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a processor, a command instructing initiation of de-bonding operation to decouple a battery from an electronic device;
• responsive to receipt of the command, controlling switching circuitry to apply a voltage differential between a first electrode and a second electrode contacting opposite surfaces of an electro-adhesive layer, the application of the voltage effective to initiate a current flow of predetermined magnitude across the electro-adhesive layer and a chemical reaction at an interface between the battery and the electronic device;
• and
• removing the voltage differential from the first electrode and the second electrode after a predetermined period of time during which the chemical reaction weakens a bond at the interface to facilitate separation of the battery from the electronic device at the interface.

An electronic device comprising:

• a processor;
• memory;
• an electro-adhesive layer between a battery and the electronic device;
• a battery control module stored in the memory and executable by the processor to control switching circuitry to initiate a flow of current across the electro-adhesive layer between a first electrode and a second electrode, the flow of current initiating a chemical reaction that weakens a bond at an interface between the battery and the electronic device to facilitates separation of the battery from the electronic device, the switching circuitry being operable to selectively couple the first electrode to a first terminal of the battery and to selectively couple the second electrode to a second terminal of the battery.