Researchers at Stanford University have created a new lithium-ion battery that works even when it’s on. This will avoid explosions of most of the devices.
In an article published in Nano Letters magazine, the team describes how they created a new “refractory” solid state electrolyte (SSE) and used it in their lithium-ion batteries. In addition, they included a refractory material called decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE). To create a new solid-state electrolyte, the team first used a thin film, combining DBDPE with a mechanical amplifier.
The use of polyimide has many advantages, researchers say Van. It is mechanically strong, has a high melting point (which reduces the likelihood of a short circuit), it can be produced on standard devices and it is inexpensive.
Another problem that the researchers had to solve was that the polyimide cannot conduct ions. To fix this, scientists added two different polymers to the mixture – polyethylene oxide (PEO) and bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI).
“The new development has shown us that the wise use of copolymers is a new way to solve the problem with batteries of combustible polymer electrolytes,” said researcher Chongsheng Wang.