Ricerc@Sapienza

Evolved gas analysis techniques are currently used because the possibility to on-line detect the nature of the released gases has become fundamental to proving a supposed reaction, either under isothermal or under heating conditions. Among the various technique, the Fourier Transformation-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) is a well-established method for gas analysis. In this project the FT-IR technique will be utilized for investigating the safety behavior of Li-ion batteries (LIB).
With continued advances in battery technologies, batteries have become one of the leading solutions for not only portable power application, but also automotive and energy storage applications. Because of the high energy density in advanced batteries, one key safety goal is preventing the unintended release of storage energy.
A catastrophic failure of a battery pack can occur if one or more cells in the battery pack undergo a thermal runaway event that results in a rapid release of flammable gases and heat, which can potentially result in fire and explosions. The design of effective thermal management systems or fire mitigation systems requires proper quantification of the thermal failure characteristics.
Single-cell abuse tests are a valuable tool for assessing the safety behavior of LIBs. Chemical analyses of emitted compounds are essential for a risk analysis. Due to the exposure pathway on human health, gaseous compounds are of particular importance. A quantitative analysis is especially necessary to relate the results of laboratory tests to exposure scenarios of LIB application.
This project wants detail the gas evolution reactions during abuse tests and present the thermal runaway mechanism. The flammability characteristics of the gases vented from battery failure will be also evaluated to propose a method to change its flammability characteristics. To this aim commercial LiBs with different chemistry and geometries will be investigated at different state of charges.