Could I recharge this battery? A over-discharged 18350 (only 0.97V)
I just found an unprotected 18350 Li‑ion cell in one of my flashlights. The flashlight wouldn’t turn on at all, so I took the cell out and tried to charge it. However, my charger shows it is only at 0.97 V now. I was surprised and stopped it immediately.
My charger is XTAR VX2 Pro. It has a refresh function, but only works for Ni‑MH, not Li‑ion. So my options would be to charge it normally or recycle it.
My concern is that since the cell has been over‑discharged deeply (much lower than 2V), there may already be irreversible chemical damage, and charging it could be unsafe, such as a fire risk.
So could you please advise me whether it is safe to charge it? Am I over‑reacting, or is it really unsafe? Also, could anyone advise on a protected 18350 cell?
Many thanks
