According to foreign media 'Arstechnica', physicist Gabriel Veith was inspired by a substance called oobleck to develop a new chemical formula to prevent lithium-ion batteries from catching fire.
▲Figure from Arstechnica
In general, the two electrodes of a lithium battery are separated by a thin plastic. When the thin plastic is crushed and ruptured, the two electrodes are in contact, causing a short circuit in the battery and eventually causing an explosion. Although a non-flammable solid electrolyte can be used. Solving the problem, but the production model needs to be greatly changed, and the average producer is not willing to invest such a large amount of money.
The characteristic of oobleck is that it hardens when subjected to external pressure, and it becomes soft after the energy is dissipated. Gabriel Weiss therefore thinks that spherical silica nanoparticles with the same characteristics are placed in the liquid electrolyte of a general lithium ion battery. To prevent the two poles from coming into contact during extrusion. The new formula will reduce the battery capacity and slow down the charging speed. In addition, it is no different from the current lithium-ion battery.
