If you're not aware 3M (and other companies) now sell electrically de-bondable tape. It's used in consumer device manufacture where it would otherwise be expensive (or dangerous) to remove an item for replacement like a lithium battery.
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b5005605107/
Now a worn or damaged battery can be safely bonded down as it normally would with a PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive), but then after applying some 30V for a couple of minutes ions in the adhesive cause it to become easily and safely removable/repositionable.
Neat! Can anyone who's worked with the stuff give us some more detail? How strong is it in practice? At 245psi tensile strength that seems about half as strong as 3M 4200 (which is not bad!). How compatible is it with various substrates? Do you need a conductive substrate on both sides to apply the release voltage? How available is it for purchase if you aren't Apple or Samsung?
I only use it to help hold together some complex assemblies when putting them together so I can't speak to it's strengths, but:
> Do you need a conductive substrate on both sides to apply the release voltage?
Yes, you attach VCC to the substrate you want to remain bonded and GND to the substrate you want to detach.
> How available is it for purchase if you aren't Apple or Samsung?
You can just call up your usual 3M distributor and request it. It's over $2,000 for a 100 meter roll so it's not something you'll usually find in stock at your local Grainger but it's not some super-secret material only available to the biggest manufacturers.
Is this how the iphone battery replacements work by passing a 9v battery through it?