Is Nonflammability of Electrolyte Overrated in the Overall Safety Performance of Lithium Ion Batteries? A Sobering Revelation from a Completely Nonflammable Electrolyte

Jia, Hao; Yang, Zhijie; Xu, Yaobin; Gao, Peiyuan; Zhong, Lirong; Kautz, David J.; Wu, Dengguo; Fliegler, Ben; Engelhard, Mark H.; Matthews, Bethany E.; Broekhuis, Benjamin; Cao, Xia; Fan, Jiang; Wang, Chongmin; Lin, Feng; Xu, Wu

doi:10.1002/aenm.202203144

Is Nonflammability of Electrolyte Overrated in the Overall Safety Performance of Lithium Ion Batteries? A Sobering Revelation from a Completely Nonflammable Electrolyte

Journal Article · Thu Dec 08 23:00:00 EST 2022 · Advanced Energy Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202203144· OSTI ID:2569894

^[1]; Yang, Zhijie ^[2]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Kautz, David J. ^[1]; Wu, Dengguo ^[3]; Fliegler, Ben ^[3]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Broekhuis, Benjamin ^[4]; Cao, Xia ^[1]; Fan, Jiang ^[3]; ^[1]; ^[2]; ^[1]

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
American Lithium Energy Corporation, Carlsbad, CA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

It has been widely assumed that the flammability of the liquid electrolyte is one of the most influential factors that determine the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Following this consideration, a completely nonflammable electrolyte is designed and adopted for graphite||LiFePO₄ (Gr||LFP) batteries. Contrary to the conventional understanding, the completely nonflammable electrolyte with phosphorus-containing solvents exhibits inferior safety performance in commercial Gr||LFP batteries, in comparison to the flammable conventional LiPF₆-organocarbonate electrolyte. Mechanistic studies identify the exothermic reactions between the electrolyte (especially the salt LiFSI) and the charged electrodes as the “culprit” behind this counterintuitive phenomenon. The discovery emphasizes the importance of reducing the electrolyte reactivity when designing safe electrolytes, as well as the necessity of evaluating safety performance of electrolytes on a battery level.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2569894

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--177605

Journal Information:: Advanced Energy Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Energy Materials Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 13; ISSN 1614-6840; ISSN 1614-6832

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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