Thin-film technology to eliminate risk of lithium battery fire

The propensity for lithium-ion batteries to catch fire has had major connotations in recent years, temporarily grounding Boeing’s fleet of 787 Dreamliners in 2015 and potentially spoiling Samsung's reputation for making high-quality consumer electronics after problems with fires in its Galaxy Note tablets.

The problem is caused by the liquid electrolyte used in most cells, which is flammable, especially at high temperatures. One way to get around this is to use a solid-state battery; but attempts to develop an efficient solid lithium-ion cell have stumbled because of difficulty in achieving electron flow between the electrodes inside the cell. Researchers at the University of Maryland Energy Research Centre and the A. James Clark School of Engineering now believe they have solved this problem.

The team, led by energy specialist Eric Wachsman and materials scientist Liangbing Hu, is working on batteries whose electrolyte is made from the mineral garnet, which are crystals of silicate associated generally with two or more metal ions.