Recent advances of thermal safety of lithium ion battery for energy storage

Abstract

Lithium ion batteries have been widely used in the power-driven system and energy storage system. While thermal safety for lithium ion battery has been constantly concerned all over the world due to the thermal runaway problems occurred in recent years. Lithium ion battery has high temperature sensitivity and the relatively narrow operating temperature range because of the complex electrochemical reactions at different temperatures. And the temperature change, including the global temperature change in different seasons and the local temperature rise that is induced by its self-heating etc., can trigger side reactions and then lead to thermal runaway, which should be further considered to ensure thermal safety of lithium ion battery. This review summarizes the inducements of thermal runaway and relevant solutions, spanning a wide temperature range. The low temperature induced issues, such as capacity fade and lithium plating and dendrite, can cause internal short circuit (ISC), while as the temperature is above the critical temperature, the speeding of side reactions and reduction of lifespan (T ​> ​40 ​°C) and thermal runaway (T ​> ​90 ​°C) will be triggered. In order to solve the thermal issues in batteries, extensive approaches have been investigated to prevent the occurrence, propagation and deterioration of thermal runaway, from the perspective of material to the battery system. The triggered mechanism at a wide temperature range, key factors for thermal safety and the effective heat dissipation strategies are concluded in this review. This review is expected to offer effective thermal safety strategies and promote the development of lithium ion battery with high-energy density.