Battery with Increased Performance and Range Increased performance, ballistic protection, and safety for Lithium-ion Devices

SAFIRE is a patented formulation consisting of a nanoparticle colloid ľ a mixture of microscopically dispersed particles within a liquid or gel ľ which leverages the physical property of ôshear thickeningö upon impact particular to non-Newtonian fluids, yet mitigates the tendency towards ôflocculationö, preventing the coagulation of nanoparticles that would degrade the formulation.á SAFIRE yields a fluid that greatly enhances the desired solidification behavior qualities under stress while returning to a fluid state when the stress is removed, with extremely high repeatability and shelf-life. Due to the volatile solvents common to Lithium-based battery chemistry, the most practical approach to integrate SAFIRE technology is in the separator between the anode and cathode: the negatively and positively charged electrode materials that are a part of all batteries. During normal use, the SAFIRE additive exists transparently in the separator material, but in an electrical/thermal runaway condition caused by catastrophic mechanical stress on the cell from an impact, SAFIRE solidifies into the equivalent shear strength of several layers of kevlar, drastically reducing irreversible damage due to the impact force. At the same time, SAFIRE shuts down the semipermeable membrane of the separator, mitigating ion-transport and thus a thermal or electrical runaway condition, preventing a combustion event. The separator, a once feared-yet-necessary component of a functioning Li-ion battery, is transformed into a dynamic material responsive to the volatile states of a battery cell undergoing a gamut of catastrophic mechanical failure conditions for which Li-ion batteries have become known. Prior to the SAFIRE formulation, Li-ion batteries have been coupled with the risks of catastrophic mechanical failure. SAFIRE decouples the benefits of Li-ion technology from these risks, allowing integration of Li-ion batteries in applications once inaccessible due to inherent volatility. Generation II SAFIRE" is in R&D and will incorporate anion tethering of chemical functional groups to the molecular surface properties of the silica nanoparticle along with the use of electrolyte surfactants. Both optimizations will result in a repeatable shear-thickening action on impact (with another arm of R&D exploring the potential for programmable ôon-demandö shear-thickening) while allowing discharge at rates up to 10C (a 5x increase) and beyond depending on the performance profile of the battery chemistry to which SAFIRE is applied.