Novel, Redox-Stabilized Li-Ion Cell

Currently-available, commercial Li-ion cells are protected by several layers of safety devices, primarily to prevent catastrophic thermal runaway events that may result from improper use. Unfortunately, these safety devices are difficult to scale up for large cells, are not very effective at stabilizing multi-cell packs, and are generally not reversible once activated. In this project, a Li-ion cell will be developed that incorporates an internal, low cost, voltage-activated, reversible safety mechanism that can handle the high currents required to stabilize large cells. The development and initial optimization of the components of the cell safety mechanism will be completed under Phase I. The mechanism will be incorporated into full Li-ion cells for further evaluation and to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The safety technology should lead to the production of a large product line of safe, low-cost, Li-ion battery cells and systems. These cells should meet the needs of a wide range of advanced applications in the automotive, telecommunications, and military supply industries. Some of these applications include electric and hybrid electric vehicles (including automobiles, scooters, and bikes), satellites, stationary backup power, and portable power applications (such as cell phones, computers, and PDAs) for both civilian and military use.