New ‘smart’ fibers curb fires in lithium-ion batteries

Hoverboards and certain mobile phones powered by lithium
Ion batteries catch fire occasionally.
Scientists now have a new plan to put out these fires before they get out of control: add a flame retardant substance to the battery that will be released if the temperature is too baked. Within lithium-
Ion batteries, ions move between positive and negative electrodes through a liquid called electrolyte.
But the common electrolyte is flammable.
If the battery is short-circuited to produce enough heat, the electrolyte will ignite.
Simply adding flame retardant to the electrolyte will reduce the efficiency of the battery.
So scientists at Stanford University created a device that could plug in between battery electrodes, the researchers reported in January 13.