Researchers working jointly at the University of Rochester and the Oak Ridge National Laboratories have come up with a safer lithium-ion battery; one that won’t catch fire if its case gets cracked.
The batteries were developed specifically to improve the safety of electric cars. The liquid electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery can hold a tremendous amount of energy. But if the battery is damaged it can give up that energy suddenly in a fire.
To do away with heavy shielding around the batteries, the Oak Ridge and UR teams figured out an additive that makes the liquid electrolyte turn solid on impact, blocking the chance of a fire.
Professor Wyatt Tenhaeff is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester. He says the new batteries can eliminate the heavy shielding that increases weight and decreases the range of electric cars.