Washington - QNA
Researchers have designed a lithium-ion battery that contains a fire-extinguishing material, which is released if the battery gets too hot.
Flame retardant triphenyl phosphate (TPP) sits inside a shell within the electrolyte fluid. The shell melts when the temperature reaches 150C (302F), releasing the chemical compound.
In tests, battery fires were extinguished in 0.4 seconds.
Lithium-ion batteries power many devices but are a known fire hazard. The Stanford University research team's peer-reviewed paper has been published by the journal Science Advances.
If a lithium-ion battery cell charges too quickly or a tiny manufacturing error slips through the net it can result in a short circuit, which can lead to fire.
In February 2016, the US National Transportation Safety Board issued a warning about lithium batteries in aeroplane cargo, describing them as "a fire and explosion ignition source".
Source: QNA