Taiwanese researchers work to make lithium-ion batteries safer

Researchers in Taiwan have created a new polymer they are calling "self-terminated oligomers with hyper-branched architecture"--or just STOBA for short. According to them, STOBA can help prevent lithium-ion batteries from overheating. This is excellent news, since the chemistry inherent to lithium-ion cells means that they are extremely susceptible to catching fire or exploding when overheated.

Adding it to the cathode inside a lithium-ion battery, and the use of this polymer technology is expected to add a mere 2 to 3 percent to the overall cost of a lithium-ion battery. Among other uses, this technology is expected to benefit electric cars.

In demonstrations, a battery with STOBA was shown to reach temperatures of only 140 degrees when punctured by a common nail to artificially trigger a short circuit.  This was in contrast to what happened with a standard lithium-ion, which went up to 650 degrees before exploding as shown in a video.  And no, it is not recommended that you try this experiment at home.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at ITworld

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