4D insights into lithium-ion battery sidewall rupture during thermal runaway

Fransson, Matilda; Broche, Ludovic; Pfaff, Jonas; Venturelli, Matteo; Buckwell, Mark; Fordham, Arthur; Kirchner-Burles, Charlie; Reid, Hamish T.; Gedara, Mahesh Thalwaththe; Schopferer, Sebastian; Finegan, Donal P.; Robinson, James; Jervis, Rhodri; Rack, Alexander; Darcy, Eric; Shearing, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103095

4D insights into lithium-ion battery sidewall rupture during thermal runaway

Journal Article · Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2026 · Cell Reports Physical Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103095· OSTI ID:3020539

Fransson, Matilda ^[1]; Broche, Ludovic ^[2]; Pfaff, Jonas ^[3]; Venturelli, Matteo ^[4]; Buckwell, Mark ^[5]; Fordham, Arthur ^[5]; Kirchner-Burles, Charlie ^[6]; Reid, Hamish T. ^[7]; Gedara, Mahesh Thalwaththe ^[3]; Schopferer, Sebastian ^[3]; ^[8]; Robinson, James ^[9]; Jervis, Rhodri ^[7]; Rack, Alexander ^[2]; Darcy, Eric ^[10]; Shearing, Paul ^[11]

Univ. College London (United Kingdom); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France)
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France)
Ernst-Mach-Institut (EMI), Efringen-Kirchen (Germany)
Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
Univ. College London (United Kingdom); Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot (United Kingdom). The Faraday Institution
Univ. College London (United Kingdom); National Physical Laboratory, Teddington (United Kingdom)
Univ. College London (United Kingdom)
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)
Politecnico di Milano (Italy); Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot (United Kingdom). The Faraday Institution
NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX (United States)
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot (United Kingdom). The Faraday Institution; Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom)

Thermal runaway (TR), characterized by rapid exothermic reactions, presents a serious safety risk in lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). External triggers such as high temperatures, mechanical abuse, or internal short circuits (ISCs) can initiate TR, often resulting in sidewall rupture, which may escalate to catastrophic battery pack failure. In this study, we developed and applied high-speed synchrotron imaging techniques to investigate sidewall rupture mechanisms in LiBs subjected to different triggering scenarios. Using in situ 4D tomographic imaging, we visualized the dynamic evolution of sidewall rupture with high spatial and temporal resolution. The results revealed distinct failure behaviors linked to each trigger, underscoring the complex and condition-specific nature of sidewall breach and battery failure. These insights highlight the critical importance of implementing tailored safety strategies across diverse applications. Our findings demonstrate the powerful potential of synchrotron high-speed tomography as a diagnostic tool for advanced safety testing and cell qualification.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 3020539

Report Number(s):: NLR/JA--5700-99380

Journal Information:: Cell Reports Physical Science, Journal Name: Cell Reports Physical Science Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 7; ISSN 2666-3864

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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4D insights into lithium-ion battery sidewall rupture during thermal runaway

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