The United States has found a solution to the flammable problem of lithium batteries.

Because of the poor thermal stability, and there's no good electronic control system, the lithium battery become the hidden safety problem of electric car. In addition to the electric car, lithium battery used in consumer electronics also has flammable characteristics. Although the battery has safety test before delivery, the news of mobile phone battery explosion is often been reported.

Recently, from the university of north Carolina at chapel hill researchers (UNCChapelHill), in a test called perfluorinated polymer polyether (Perfluoropolyether), found that the material can and lithium salt solution, this means that you can realize the characteristics of the conductive in the battery, the researchers DominicaWong explains: "most of the polymer with dissolved salts, but this kind of material can be." The key is that it has no flammability.

Perfluorinated polyether PFPE for short is a kind of normal temperature liquid polymer, and is used as lubricant space mechanical devices for decades, has excellent thermal and oxidation stability, why do you say PFPE polymers can greatly improve the thermal stability of lithium-ion batteries? It must first to understand the simple discharge principle of lithium batteries, lithium ion from negative to positive, namely however on mobile phones, laptops and electric car batteries in addition to discharge to charge, so you also need to electrolyte, in lithium battery, the electrolyte ions are generally rich in poly acid ethyl ester (DMC).

Lithium battery is not stable, the reason lies in the DMC, even at room temperature of this kind of material is flammable, JosephDeSimone directly, head of the research team, said: "they (DMC) gasoline is first cousin to a lie." When electric cars hit, even if the fire is not in the battery, the battery is easy to ignite, thus make the whole car be a "reactor". If we can make PFPE instead of DMC electrolyte, the stability of the battery will greatly improve in theory, in fact, DeSimone team did, they put PFPE with DMC fusion and common as electrolyte of lithium batteries, found that not only greatly improve the thermal stability of the battery, at the same time conduction efficiency also improve greatly.

DeSimone is also specially to illustrate with lithium - air batteries. As a lithium ion batteries one of the highest energy density of batteries, lithium - air has a flaw is common battery electrolyte is not compatible with the oxygen, and PFPE is likely to help solve this problem, in this way, the energy density and gasoline at the same level of lithium air batteries practical will further away from it.

So PFPE electrolyte battery in what is on the thermal stability of performance? Researchers to test showed that the cells can afford to - 90 ℃ to 200 ℃ temperature range, for electric car power battery, such performance, while the temperature of the lithium ion battery withstand range is - 20 ℃ and 60 ℃, and the temperature is too low, too high, its conductive ability will be discounted.

Although commercial still have a long distance away, but at least PFPE electrolyte battery to us prove that the batteries of electric cars and electric conductivity, thermal stability can be completely solution can be found.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.