https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/gallery/scientists-developed-a-self-extinguishing-electrolyte-that-can-prevent-battery-fires_12.jpg电池火灾很少见，但当它们发生时，它们需要大量的消防资源。该问题是由易燃电解质引起的，它可以在热失控反应中产生自己的氧气。克莱姆森大学（Clemson University）的科学家认为，他们的自熄电解质可以使电池起火成为过去。

电池电动汽车是我们应对气候变化和减少大城市污染的最佳选择。现代电动汽车使用锂离子电池，其能量密度最高，生命周期相对较长。然而，大多数锂离子电池在过热时可能会很危险，需要复杂的热管理系统。因为它们使用高度易燃的电解质，如果Battery fires are rare, but when they happen, they require enormous amounts of firefighting resources. The problem is caused by the flammable electrolyte, which can generate its own oxygen in a thermal runaway reaction. Scientists at Clemson University think their self-extinguishing electrolyte can make battery fires a thing of the past.

Battery-electric vehicles are our best bet in fighting climate change and reducing pollution in big cities. Modern EVs use lithium-ion batteries, which offer the highest energy density and a relatively long lifecycle. However, most Li-ion battery cells can be dangerous when they overheat, requiring complex thermal management systems. Because they use highly flammable electrolytes, they can burst into flames if the heat is not kept in check.

This is called thermal runaway, although, from the outside, it looks more like an explosion or a rocket firing its engines. Because EV batteries are made of thousands of individual cells, the process affects adjacent cells unless it's stopped. To make matters worse, the blazing cells generate their own oxygen, making the fire very difficult to put out. The reaction continues as long as the temperature is high enough or the electrolyte depletes. This is why firefighters dealing with an EV battery fire focus on cooling the battery pack.

Researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina thought that inventing an electrolyte that doesn't catch fire is the simplest way to prevent battery fires. One that can put out its own fire is even better. So, instead of a common electrolyte, usually composed of a lithium salt and an organic solvent, they developed one based on materials found in a commercial fire extinguisher.

The revolutionary electrolyte works across a wide temperature range from about minus 100 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 75 to 80 degrees Celsius). During the nail penetration test, the batteries produced in the lab with this flame-retardant electrolyte extinguished internal fires effectively. Moreover, the electrolyte is compatible with other chemistries besides Li-ion, including potassium-ion, sodium-ion, aluminum-ion, and zinc-ion.

While nonflammable electrolytes are not new, most of them contain fluorine and phosphorus, which are expensive and can have harmful effects on the environment. Instead of using them, the team at Clemson University focused on adapting affordable commercial coolants that were already widely used in fire extinguishers. The purpose was to make them function as battery electrolytes.

The best candidate proved a safe and affordable commercial fluid produced by 3M called Novec 7300, which has low toxicity, is nonflammable and does not contribute to global warming. The team combined this fluid with other chemicals for added durability. The result was an electrolyte that would enable a battery to charge and discharge over a full year without losing significant capacity.

The best part is that this electrolyte has similar physical properties to currently used electrolytes. This makes it easy to be used on current battery production lines. The researchers are confident that companies will soon be able to manufacture nonflammable batteries using their existing lithium-ion battery facilities. This will make battery fires a thing of the past, ending one of the most widespread FUDs about electric vehicles.

热量没有得到控制，它们可能会燃烧起来。
这被称为热失控，尽管从外面看，它看起来更像是爆炸或火箭发射发动机。由于电动汽车电池由数千个单独的电池组成，除非停止，否则该过程会影响相邻的电池。更糟糕的是，炽热的电芯会产生自己的氧气，使火很难扑灭。只要温度足够高或电解质耗尽，反应就会继续。这就是为什么消防员在处理电动汽车电池火灾时会专注于冷却电池组。
南卡罗来纳州克莱姆森大学的研究人员认为，发明一种不会着火的电解质是防止电池起火的最简单方法。能自己灭火的就更好了。因此，他们没有使用通常由锂盐和有机溶剂组成的普通电解质，而是根据商用灭火器中的材料开发了一种电解质。
电解质可在大约零下 100 至 175 华氏度（零下 75 至 80 摄氏度）的宽温度范围内工作。在钉子穿透测试中，实验室中用这种阻燃电解质生产的电池有效地扑灭了内部火灾。此外，电解质与锂离子以外的其他化学物质兼容，包括钾离子、钠离子、铝离子和锌离子。
虽然不易燃电解质并不新鲜，但它们中的大多数都含有氟和磷，它们价格昂贵且可能对环境产生有害影响。克莱姆森大学的团队没有使用它们，而是专注于调整已经广泛用于灭火器的负担得起的商用冷却剂。目的是使它们充当电池电解质。
最好的候选者被证明是3M公司生产的一种安全且价格合理的商业液体，称为Novec 7300，它具有低毒性，不易燃且不会导致全球变暖。该团队将这种液体与其他化学品结合在一起，以增加耐用性。结果是一种电解质，可以使电池在一整年内充电和放电而不会损失容量。
最好的部分是这种电解质具有与目前使用的电解质相似的物理特性。这使得它很容易用于当前的电池生产线。研究人员相信，公司将很快能够使用其现有的锂离子电池设施制造不易燃电池。这将使电池起火成为过去，结束关于电动汽车最普遍的 FUD 之一。

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