Lithium Battery Active-Layer Passivation for Thermal Runaway Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion batteries face safety issues due to thermal runaway, primarily caused by exothermic reactions in the active materials, which current methods fail to effectively address by only passively blocking ion/electron migration pathways rather than targeting the source of energy generation.
Innovation Solution
Applying a non-lithium alkali metal ion and an amphoteric metal ion to the positive and negative active material layers when the battery reaches a predetermined temperature, transforming these layers into a passivation state to block the electrochemical reaction pathway and reduce thermal energy release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical or chemical methods are used to block ion/electron migration pathways, then thermal runaway suppression is improved, but the root cause (exothermic reactions in active materials) is not addressed
Solution Approach 1:
A coating layer comprising metal fluoride, metal oxide, or metal hydroxide is applied to the surface of the positive and negative active materials. This coating layer acts as an intermediary barrier that suppresses exothermic reactions between the active materials and electrolyte, directly addressing the root cause of thermal runaway while maintaining battery functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface properties of the active materials are modified by applying a coating layer with different chemical composition and thermal stability parameters. This changes the reaction characteristics at the material surface, reducing the tendency for exothermic reactions and improving thermal safety without compromising electrochemical performance.
2Reliability
If monitoring systems or passive blocking methods are used, then safety monitoring is improved, but direct suppression of thermal energy generation is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer serves as a protective intermediary that directly suppresses the exothermic reactions generating thermal energy. By preventing the chemical reactions between active materials and electrolyte, the coating layer reduces thermal energy generation at its source rather than merely monitoring or passively responding to temperature increases.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively prevents thermal runaway by transforming the active materials into lower energy states, reducing the likelihood of heat generation and improving battery safety by directly addressing the source of thermal runaway.
Implementation Method 1
applying a metal ion (A) and an amphoteric metal ion (B) to a positive active material layer and a negative active material layer of the lithium battery, when a temperature of the lithium battery reaches to a predetermined temperature, to passivate the positive active material layer and the negative active material layer to block the electrochemical reaction pathway
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method for suppressing thermal runaway of lithium batteries, which is included a step of providing a lithium battery capable of performing charging and discharging, which includes an electrochemical reaction system. When the temperature of the lithium battery reaches to a predetermined temperature, a metal ion (A) and an amphoteric metal ion (B) are applied to the positive active material layer and the negative active material layer of the lithium battery to passivate the positive active material layer and the negative active material layer. The metal ion (A) is selected from a non-lithium alkali metal ion, an alkaline earth metal ion or a combination thereof to prevent the thermal runaway from occurring.