Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which provide excellent power density and lengthy service lives, have become the dominant rechargeable battery technologies over the last 30 years. However, thermal runaway incidents, where the energy in a cell is uncontrollably (and frequently violently) transformed into heat, plague their safety record.
The risks that thermal runaway in Li-ion batteries pose are examined in this article, along with its causes.
The Case for Li-Ion Technology
In comparison to other commercially available batteries,1 the first lithium-ion batteries, which were introduced to the market for the first time in 1991, were a significant improvement.
Rechargeable Li-ion batteries offered extremely high energy densities and protracted service lives, which differed significantly from other developing rechargeable battery technologies that were widely used at…