Scientists develop electrolyte mixture that could prevent battery fires
Researchers at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory believe they have found a solution to prevent lithium-ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries from igniting at high temperatures.
The scientists developed a polymer-based electrolyte — the substance that facilitates the transfer of lithium ions between electrodes — that doesn’t ignite at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celcius) or higher.
“One of the biggest challenges in the battery industry is this safety issue, so there’s a lot of effort going into trying to make a battery electrolyte that is safe,” the report’s lead author, Rachel Huang, said.
Conventional lithium-ion battery electrolytes comprise a lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent like ether or carbonate, resulting in a flammable mixture.
Huang’s solution was to dissolve as much of a lithium salt — LiFSI (Lithium bisfluorosulfonylimide) — in a polymer-based electrolyte as she possibly could.
Conventionally, less than 50% of a polymer-based electrolyte’s weight is made up of salt. Huang increased this figure to 63%.
“I just wanted to see how much I could add and test the limit,” she said.
It should be noted that the electrolyte she created also contained flammable solvent molecules.
However, the complete electrolyte — known as Solvent-Anchored non-Flammable Electrolyte (SAFE) — proved to be non-flammable during high-temperature tests.
Instead of failing at high temperatures like most lithium-ion batteries, those containing SAFE continued to operate at temperatures between 77–212 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 100 degrees Celcius).
“This new finding points out a new way of thinking for polymer-based electrolyte design,” a professor at Stanford University who advises Huang, Zhenan Bao, said.
“This electrolyte is important for developing future batteries that are both high energy density and safe.”
Now read: Elon Musk’s Neuralink under investigation for animal welfare violations
Loading ...