= Battery self-discharge
<Battery self-discharge> is loss of recoverable stored charge through internal processes while a <battery> supplies no useful external <electric current>. Parasitic reactions and internal leakage can change the charged state even when the external terminals are open.
A storage experiment compares recoverable capacity after controlled waiting intervals with an otherwise identical freshly charged or prepared cell. Holding <temperature> and subsequent discharge conditions fixed separates storage loss from a changed capacity test. Terminal voltage alone need not measure the lost capacity, because voltage also depends on chemistry and relaxation. Self-discharge is distinct from the intentional current drawn by a connected sleeping device.
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