LR6 alkaline battery

　　Study finds graphene can reduce the risk of fire by absorbing oxygen from LR6 alkaline battery if they catch fire

　　According to foreign media reports, lithium batteries can allow electric vehicles to have a driving range of hundreds of miles. Their ability to store energy is well known, but such batteries are also known to pose a fire risk. Battery personnel refer to this phenomenon as "thermal runaway" (i.e. the battery accumulates too much heat). Fire accidents occur most frequently when batteries overheat or cycle rapidly. As more and more electric vehicles hit the road every year, battery technology needs to evolve to reduce the likelihood of dangerous and catastrophic fire accidents.

　　Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering have released a research report stating that graphene, the wonder material of the 21st century, may be able to absorb oxygen from LR6 alkaline battery when they catch fire, thereby reducing the risk of fire.

　　Lithium battery fires occur due to rapid battery cycling or charging and discharging, as well as high temperatures building up within the battery. This causes the cathode inside the battery (in most cases, the cathode is an oxide containing lithium, usually lithium cobalt oxide) to break down and release oxygen. The electrolyte will decompose at high temperatures and release flammable products. If oxygen is combined with such flammable products, spontaneous combustion will occur.

　　"We thought that if there was a way to prevent the oxygen released from the cathode from combining with other flammable materials within the battery, we could reduce Possibility of fire."

　　It turned out that the perfect solution was the material graphene, an ultra-thin layer of carbon atoms with unique properties. Shahbazian-Yassar and colleagues have previously used graphene to regulate the accumulation of lithium on lithium metal battery electrodes.

　　Shahbazian-Yassar and his colleagues knew that oxygen atoms cannot seep out of graphene sheets. In addition, graphene also has the advantages of high strength, good flexibility, and conductivity. They believe that if graphene is used to wrap small particles of lithium cobalt oxide cathode in lithium batteries, it may be possible to prevent oxygen from escaping.

　　First, the researchers chemically altered graphene to make it conductive. Next, they wrapped tiny particles of a lithium cobalt oxide cathode electrode in conductive graphene. When the researchers used electron microscopy to observe lithium cobalt oxide particles wrapped with graphene, they found that compared with particles without graphene, the oxygen released was significantly less at high temperatures.

　　Next, the researchers combined the graphene-coated particles with a binding material to form a cathode that was integrated into a lithium metal battery. When the researchers measured oxygen release as the battery cycled, they found that almost no oxygen escaped from the cathode, even at very high voltages. Even after 200 charge-discharge cycles, lithium metal batteries still perform very well.

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