Thermal Runaway Resistant Li ion Batteries

Energy dense Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are increasingly being integrated into a number of applications both within the DOD and the private sector. While the high energy density makes these batteries ideal for many applications, it also poses a unique safety problem as the LIBs are susceptible to thermal runaway and fire. The battery industry has attempted to address this problem by building large battery packs from small individual cells and by incorporating safety measures both inside and outside the cells in large battery packs. However, these measures have proven to be insufficient as evidenced by the continued occurrence of battery fires in various applications leading to widespread product recalls in several industries. Failure and thermal runaway in one cell can release enough energy to consume the entire battery pack leading to very high energy release rates. If a battery fire does occur, suppressing it is extremely difficult due to the high rate of energy release as well as poor access to the individual cells in the battery pack. Since such fires are fought currently from outside the battery pack, the fire suppression agent (usually water) has to penetrate several layers of blockage before reaching the target region which is often too late to protect the battery pack and the host system. We propose a patent pending technology to address this urgent and crucial problem. Our technology detects the occurrence of thermal runaway in individual cells and if such a condition does occur it prevents the thermal runaway in the trigger cell as well as its propagation to the rest of the battery pack. Our technology is all inclusive as it does not rely on any external sensors or monitoring systems for thermal runaway detection, and it does not rely on battery power for thermal runaway and propagation prevention. In Phase I, we propose to determine the technical feasibility of the proposed concept for one thermal runaway trigger and one cell format, and commercial viability through customer discovery. In Phase II, we propose to design and construct prototype battery modules equipped with our technology and perform technology demonstration studies over a broad range of conditions (abuse types, cell sizes, cell formats, and cell chemistries), perform standardized testing to satisfy regulatory compliance in select defense applications, and enter into an IP licensing agreement with at least one vendor in the beach head market. In Phase III, we will perform technology integration into current battery packs, field testing and commercialization.