Lithium battery explosion frequency new technology can control fire for 0.4 seconds

The demise of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has made more people realize that the smart phones that accompany us to work, play, and travel every day can become "invisible bombs" at any time, posing a security threat to personal safety and property. According to the latest research report, by adding a strong flame retardant to the lithium battery, it will be released when the device is overheated to prevent the device from catching fire.

When the lithium-ion battery is overheated, it can burn the battery pack, which can cause an open flame and may even cause an explosion. After an in-depth study of such "thermal runaway", some engineers have prevented battery circuits by setting fire alarms and adding chemical additives in lithium batteries.

Researchers have previously tried to add flame retardants directly to the electrolyte of the battery, but this method will significantly reduce battery performance. To this end, they added a separator to the lithium-ion battery, which not only ensures the positive and negative electrodes of the separation battery, but also is filled with triphenyl phosphate, which is a low-cost, effective and widely used flame retardant.

Flame retardants typically encapsulate plastic fibers during use in conventional batteries. If the temperature around the encapsulant exceeds 150 degrees Celsius, the plastic will automatically melt and release the flame retardant stored inside. According to the experimental results, the burning electrolyte can be completely extinguished within 0.4 seconds. The results of the study were presented in detail in the January 13 issue of Science Advan CES.

“Using our 'smart' splitters, battery performance is not affected by flame retardants in normal environments,” said Yi Cui, a materials scientist at Stanford University in California and a senior author of the report. “But, Once thermal runaway occurs, the flame retardant is activated, preventing combustion and explosion."