In 2016, half a million hoverboards were recalled after lithium ion batteries in some of the popular scooters burst
into flames.
That same year, Samsung recalled its Galaxy Note 7 when the same type of
batteries in some of those devices exploded and burned. The recall cost Samsung
more than $10 billion.
With the U.S. lithium-ion battery market expected to reach $90 billion
by 2025, Alevtina Smirnova, PhD, sees great value in fixing this battery problem.
“The reality is, conventional lithium-ion batteries are not safe or
reliable,” says Smirnova, an associate professor of chemistry and applied
biological sciences, and electrical and computer engineering at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain flammable liquid that can become
combustible when heated. Heating usually occurs due to a short circuit inside
the battery. The end result in these cases is often fire or explosion. To make matters
worse, the electrolyte inside lithium-ion batteries is mixed with a compound that
burns the skin. In 2017, a young woman on an overseas flight received burns on
her face when the batteries inside her headphones exploded.
Smirnova plans to...