Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review

Climate change and global warming represent critical challenges for the 21st century, partly attributable to the combustion of fossil fuels. The adoption of alternative energy sources presents viable solutions to mitigate these challenges. Among the strategies to address climate change, lithium-ion...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yixin Dai, Aidin Panahi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Next Energy
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24000917
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850025475505651712
author Yixin Dai
Aidin Panahi
author_facet Yixin Dai
Aidin Panahi
author_sort Yixin Dai
collection DOAJ
description Climate change and global warming represent critical challenges for the 21st century, partly attributable to the combustion of fossil fuels. The adoption of alternative energy sources presents viable solutions to mitigate these challenges. Among the strategies to address climate change, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as increasingly important. However, the advancement of LIB technology is hindered by the phenomenon of thermal runaway (TR), which constitutes the primary failure mechanism of LIBs, potentially leading severe fires and explosions. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the TR mechanisms in LIBs, which vary significantly depending on the battery’s materials. Extensive research has been conducted on the component materials of LIBs, the causes triggering TR, and the mechanisms underlying TR in laboratory settings. Yet, further research to fully understand and mitigate TR is necessary as it is a highly complex process that is readily influenced by both external conditions and internal reactions. For LIBs composed of different materials, the processes and mechanisms underlying TR exhibit significant variations. Therefore, this review emphasizes the need to study various battery cells to gain a comprehensive understanding of the TR mechanisms. The focus of this review lies in elucidating the diverse TR mechanisms, preventive methods, and highlighting recent key progresses in research aimed at improving the safety of LIBs. Finally, this review concludes with recommendations for future research and development on the safety of LIBs, emphasizing the need for a more coherent view of TR mechanisms and LIB safety.
format Article
id doaj-art-e943af9f44a144ff81f12353f2708ceb
institution DOAJ
issn 2949-821X
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Next Energy
spelling doaj-art-e943af9f44a144ff81f12353f2708ceb2025-08-20T03:00:50ZengElsevierNext Energy2949-821X2025-01-01610018610.1016/j.nxener.2024.100186Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A reviewYixin Dai0Aidin Panahi1Mechanical Engineering Department, University College London, London, UKChemical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA; Corresponding author.Climate change and global warming represent critical challenges for the 21st century, partly attributable to the combustion of fossil fuels. The adoption of alternative energy sources presents viable solutions to mitigate these challenges. Among the strategies to address climate change, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as increasingly important. However, the advancement of LIB technology is hindered by the phenomenon of thermal runaway (TR), which constitutes the primary failure mechanism of LIBs, potentially leading severe fires and explosions. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the TR mechanisms in LIBs, which vary significantly depending on the battery’s materials. Extensive research has been conducted on the component materials of LIBs, the causes triggering TR, and the mechanisms underlying TR in laboratory settings. Yet, further research to fully understand and mitigate TR is necessary as it is a highly complex process that is readily influenced by both external conditions and internal reactions. For LIBs composed of different materials, the processes and mechanisms underlying TR exhibit significant variations. Therefore, this review emphasizes the need to study various battery cells to gain a comprehensive understanding of the TR mechanisms. The focus of this review lies in elucidating the diverse TR mechanisms, preventive methods, and highlighting recent key progresses in research aimed at improving the safety of LIBs. Finally, this review concludes with recommendations for future research and development on the safety of LIBs, emphasizing the need for a more coherent view of TR mechanisms and LIB safety.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24000917Lithium-ion batterySafetyFireExplosionThermal runaway
spellingShingle Yixin Dai
Aidin Panahi
Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
Next Energy
Lithium-ion battery
Safety
Fire
Explosion
Thermal runaway
title Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
title_full Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
title_fullStr Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
title_full_unstemmed Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
title_short Thermal runaway process in lithium-ion batteries: A review
title_sort thermal runaway process in lithium ion batteries a review
topic Lithium-ion battery
Safety
Fire
Explosion
Thermal runaway
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24000917
work_keys_str_mv AT yixindai thermalrunawayprocessinlithiumionbatteriesareview
AT aidinpanahi thermalrunawayprocessinlithiumionbatteriesareview