If a lithium-ion cell is accidentally overcharged or abused then the stored chemical energy can be abruptly released in the form of fire or explosions during thermal runaway.

Thermal runaway is the mechanism of exothermic chemical reactions between the electrodes and the electrolyte that occurs when a cell is heated above a certain temperature; the rise in internal temperature causes the reaction to become spontaneous.

The temperature at which thermal runaway reactions occur is determined by the cell’s chemistry, state of charge, and cell design. As a result, controlling the processes that lead up to thermal runaway is critical to ensuring battery safety.

The separator is a crucial material for controlling this process.

High performance and non-exploding batteries

Next-Ion Separator versus the Industry Separators