A new technology that can prevent Li-ion battery fires

Materials scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) person recovered a mode to forestall interior short-circuits, the main origin of fires successful lithium (Li)-ion batteries.

Billions of Li-ion batteries are produced annually for usage successful mobile phones, laptops, idiosyncratic mobile devices, and the immense artillery packs of electrical vehicles and aircraft.

This planetary artillery request is acceptable to grow, with electrical vehicles unsocial requiring up to 2,700 GWh worthy of Li-ion batteries a twelvemonth by 2030, equivalent to immoderate 225 cardinal mobile telephone batteries.

Even with an estimated nonaccomplishment complaint of little than one-in-a-million, successful 2020 determination were 26 power-assisted bicycle fires and 42 cases of idiosyncratic mobility instrumentality fires successful Singapore.

In astir Li-ion artillery fires, the origin is owed to a build-up of lithium deposits known arsenic dendrites (tiny wire-like tendrils) that transverse the separator betwixt the affirmative (cathode) and antagonistic (anode) electrodes of the artillery erstwhile it is being charged, causing a short-circuit starring to an uncontrolled chemic fire.

To forestall this short-circuit from happening, Professor Xu Zhichuan and his probe squad from the School of Materials Science and Engineering invented an further "anti-short layer" connected the separator, preventing immoderate dendrite from reaching the cathode.

"We cognize that for a Li-ion artillery to work, Li-ions indispensable beryllium capable to question betwixt the affirmative and antagonistic sides during complaint and discharge cycles," explains Prof Xu, who is besides the Cluster Director of Energy Storage and Renewables & Low Carbon Generation: Solar, astatine the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). "However, the transportation of the Li-ions besides means the enactment of dendrites is inevitable for existent commercialized Li-ion batteries."

"Instead of preventing the enactment of dendrites, we decided to marque usage of their intrinsic properties by coating an further furniture of conductive worldly connected the separator for these dendrites to link with. Once the dendrites marque the transportation it volition not beryllium capable to proceed their maturation further, frankincense preventing them from ever reaching the different side."

How the "anti-short layer" works

A Li-ion artillery could beryllium likened to 2 bookshelves successful a room facing each different (cathode and anode), separated by an aisle (separator). When the artillery is charging, Li-ions are transferred from the cathode to the anode, and erstwhile discharging, the Li-ions determination vice-versa.

NTU's "anti-short layer" is akin to putting a librarian table successful betwixt some bookshelves successful the mediate of the aisle—so that erstwhile the build-up of utilized books reaches the librarian's table (dendrites), they halt there, portion the librarian continues to interact with the different side.

Prof Xu's squad person tested their exertion successful the laboratory connected implicit 50 cells with antithetic Li-ion artillery compositions and nary short-circuits person been detected during the charging signifier adjacent erstwhile the artillery cells are utilized beyond their lifecycle.

The anti-short furniture is simply a communal worldly utilized successful artillery manufacturing and tin beryllium easy integrated into the existent separator manufacturing process, making it casual for companies to follow and standard up. The squad estimates that the outgo summation aft adopting this exertion would beryllium astir 5 per cent much than the existing accumulation outgo of a Li-ion battery.

Giving an autarkic remark connected the technology's potential, Durapower Group's Chief Executive Officer, Kelvin Lim says that "this exertion breakthrough is of important involvement to our concern successful electrifying e-mobility and stationary vigor retention applications that are presently heavy babelike connected Li-ion batteries. At the aforesaid time, the caller invention volition assistance to summation the information and widen the lifespan of a Li-ion battery, which translates to longer driving ranges for EVs and longer operational hours for battery vigor retention solutions."

Speaking independently, Dr. Avishek Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder of V-Flow Tech, an vigor retention exertion steadfast says that "this invention, which solves the astir captious puzzle of thermal runaway contented successful Li-ion vigor retention solutions, volition beryllium to beryllium 1 of the biggest enabler for wide adoption for Li-ion vigor retention technology."

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