Inexpensive sensor can warn of lithium-ion battery failure

According to a statement, the sensor is based on the researchers’ discovery of an intrinsic relationship between the internal temperature of lithium-ion cells and an easily measured electrical parameter of the cell.

Due to their high energy density, lithium-ion batteries power millions of consumer electronic devices and are the most common type of battery used in hybrid and electric vehicles. They are also growing in popularity for power grid, military and aerospace applications.

However, safety concerns remain a challenge to the industry as battery malfunction and fires in electric vehicles, mobile phones and laptop computers have been reported. Such failures typically result from thermal runaway, a condition that occurs once a cell reaches a critical temperature.

‘An abnormally high internal cell temperature is a nearly universal manifestation of something going awry with the cell,’ said Rengaswamy Srinivasan, a chemist in APL’s Research and Exploratory Development Department and one of the inventors. ‘These changes can occur within seconds, leading to a potentially catastrophic event if corrective measures are not taken immediately. When things start to go wrong inside the cell, time is not on your side.’