Flameproofing lithium-ion batteries with salt

Newswise — Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power phones, laptops, other personal electronics and electric cars, and are even used to store energy generated by solar panels. But if the temperature of these batteries rises too high, they stop working and can catch fire. That’s in part because the electrolyte inside of them, which ferries lithium ions between the two electrodes as the battery charges and discharges, is flammable. “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,” said Rachel Z Huang, a graduate student at Stanford University and first author of a report published Nov. 30 in Matter.Huang developed a non-flammable electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries with 19 other researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory…

Read more…