Well, at least researchers at Stanford University think they might have found a solution. They placed a capsule containing fire extinguishing material inside the battery electrolyte. When this reached 150C / 301F the capsule melted, releasing the flame retardant triphenyl phosphate. In laboratory tests, this extinguished lithium battery fires in 0.4 seconds.
Elevator Explanation of what Triphenyl Phosphate Is
Triphenyl phosphate is in regular use in casting resins, glues, electronic equipment, hydraulic fluids, and pvc products. It decomposes in heat, forming phosphoric acid. This in turn reacts to form pyrophosphoric acid preventing heat transfer as occurs in lithium battery fires.
Triphenyl phosphate first seemed relatively benign in terms of body contact. However, subsequent research revealed negative potential in terms of metabolic disruption, endocrine disturbance, and genotoxicity that could lead to cancers. The European Chemicals Agency regards it as ‘very toxic’ to aquatic life.
The Threat of Lithium Battery Fires to the Industry
The entire battery industry took a reputational knock after the US National Transportation Safety Board cautioned against carrying lithium batteries as air cargo.
Also, the word is out that lithium battery thermal runaway fires caused Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7’s to explode. However the phone manufacturer has not confirmed this.
The world is currently dependent on lithium batteries for much of our technology, although there are many new contenders. The Stanford University research is potentially good news for battery technology. This has been struggling to keep up with consumer demand while remaining safe.
Triphenyl Phosphate Capsules and Battery Performance
Earlier attempts to use triphenyl phosphate as a flame retardant in batteries failed because of negative impacts on performance. The research report is largely silent on this aspect. The methodology certainly appears to extinguish lithium battery fires. Whether it will warm the hearts of consumers too is thus an open question.
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Preview Image: Alarm Bell
