Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan have developed fire-resistant battery electrolytes that can guarantee battery safety by preventing explosions.

Lithium-ion batteries are common in modern consumer electronics because of their high voltage and charge density. Yet conventional electrolytes are highly flammable and volatile, which may cause catastrophic fires or explosions. The newly developed electrolytes contain flame-retardant solvents with salt added which can reduce the volatility of the mixture and allow the battery to remain stable in temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius. When the battery is heated above 150 degrees Celsius, the solution immediately puts out the resulting fire. The research team has now turned the existing organic electrolytes from ‘flammable’ to ‘fire-extinguishing’ to guarantee battery safety without lowering the manufacturing and charging efficiency.

The electrolyte is not only a fuel but also serves as an efficient extinguisher of a fire that might be supported by other flammable materials in a battery. Now researchers have figured out a way to embed a flame-extinguishing chemical into standard batteries, developing safe and long-lasting batteries and unlocking the potentials toward development of much higher energy-density batteries. This research allows us to build bigger and more powerful batteries for the electric vehicles and the Smart Grid of the future.