why lithium-ion batteries go up in flames

SAN FRANCISCO —
Burning lithium
The ion batteries that led to the massive recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones highlight the challenges technology companies face when looking for more powerful, lightweight, and easy-to-charge batteries to power countless consumer devices. Lithium-
At the beginning of 1990, Ion batteries first appeared at the scene --
Handheld camera
Since then, they have become accustomed to powering all devices from jet aircraft electrical systems to cars to billions of dollars of smartphones.
From last year\'s hovercraft shutdown to the Boeing 787 shutdown, they also triggered a fire and a massive recall.
These batteries are attractive to equipment manufacturers because they can store a relatively large amount of energy in a small space, says Jason Croy, who is an electrochemical illness at the Lemmon Agon National Laboratory\"Without Li-
\"Ion, most likely won\'t have smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc,\" he said . \". Lithium-
Ion batteries are no more dangerous than any other, but they have a higher energy density.
The more energy stored, the greater the potential danger of the battery, says Croy.
At the same time, consumers are constantly demanding more power from their devices.
\"They want to do more with their mobile phones, laptops, and they want to charge 200 miles with an electric car,\" he said . \".
This means
More and more people are asking ion batteries to keep more energy.
Most people do it safely, but they do it badly.
Batteries designed to be defective or counterfeit sometimes explode, explode or overheat.
According to Samsung, 35 confirmed cases of a smartphone fire or explosion were blamed on \"battery problems \".
The battery charges and discharges by moving the lithium particles between the negative electrode and the positive electrode.
To make these particles easy to move, they are suspended in a pressurized battery inside a battery filled with volatile and flammable chemicals.
When the battery is charged and discharged, the movement of the particles causes heat.
If the battery is poorly designed or used or improperly installed, this heat ignites the chemical, causing a flame or explosion.
Damage to the thin walls that keep the different parts of the battery separate can also lead to short circuit and corresponding heat build-up.
It\'s very safe in general, but almost billions of lithium-
Ion batteries used worldwide mean that there have been several news-worthy glitches over time.
In June, HP recalled HP and Compaq\'s laptops when it discovered that their battery packs could be overhead. Self-
Balanced hovercraft driven by often bad
Lithium battery installed-
Ion batterieshave has been responsible for more than a hundred fires.
The Consumer Product Safety Board registered half of them.
In the 2013 fires caused by two 787 Dreamliner short-circuited lithium-ion batteries, Boeing redesigned the aircraft so that each battery was placed in an insulated, ventilated and fire-proof steel box. Lithium-
Ion batteries have also been linked to at least two fires in Tesla electric vehicles as they travel on road debris and damage the battery pack under the vehicle.
To further protect the electric vehicle battery from impact, the car company added three under-body shields to the Model S.