Radiation, heavy machinery, the vacuum of space, laser beams, and, sadly, lithium polymer batteries, are all dangerous entities, but there has been a breakthrough in material development that promises to fix many of the instabilities of Li-Po batteries. This new polymer, made by an ExxonMobil Chemical affiliate (Tonen Chemical) based in Japan, keeps the batteries from overheating. Banking on this development are automobile companies, as the battery recalls and laptop explosions of last year have made manufacturers of hybrid vehicles wary of replacing their nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries in vehicles, where the consequences of a meltdown would be far worse.
Here’s an example of a controlled breakdown and explosion of a multi-cell (looks to be about 6 cells big), lithium-polymer battery. To put in perspective, hybrid vehicles would need thousands of cells to operate properly.
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MIT researchers put it best (they usually do) when describing the reaction that occurs in a failed li-po battery:
“Last year, millions of laptops were recalled by such major companies as Apple and Dell because metal particles were accidentally incorporated into battery cells during manufacturing. In rare cases, these particles could penetrate a plastic sheet called a separator that ordinarily prevents the positive and negative electrodes within a cell from touching. Such an event can generate heat, which can cause the separator to break down further, resulting in more shorting and more heating. At high enough temperatures, the electrode materials decompose, releasing oxygen and leading to more-rapid heating and, ultimately, an explosion and fire.” — MIT Tech Review
The new polymer material would resist the heat and decomposition, allowing the separators to withstand much higher temperatures and maintain the integrity of the battery in all but catastrophic conditions. The separators would keep the batteries from overheating and causing the explosive reactions that occur.
Apparently, other companies have also tackled the issue surrounding these types of batteries, so it’s doubtless that a solution will present itself in the future; it’s just not known when. So, hopefully, we’ll see this technology rolling soon, for the good of hybrids and laptops everywhere!
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hmmm… maybe using my laptop on my lap isn’t the best choice