Industry experts believe that lithium batteries are "a near-ideal battery" because lithium is the lightest metal on the planet. Compared with the heavier alternatives such as lead, zinc, and nickel-cadmium, it has a better ability to carry electrons. However, it is undeniable that lithium batteries also have potential safety hazards of overheating and fire. This is also an important reason why lithium-air batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries cannot be commercially promoted even though they can provide more than 10 times the energy storage. However, today the Stanford University research team has successfully found a way to make lithium batteries safer, which is expected to further promote the lithium battery revolution.

　　Industry experts believe that lithium batteries are "a near-ideal battery" because lithium is the lightest metal on the planet. Compared with the heavier alternatives such as lead, zinc, and nickel-cadmium, it has a better ability to carry electrons. However, it is undeniable that lithium batteries also have potential safety hazards of overheating and fire. This is also an important reason why lithium-air batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries cannot be commercially promoted even though they can provide more than 10 times the energy storage.

　　But today, the Stanford University research team has successfully found a way to make lithium batteries safer, which is expected to further promote the lithium battery revolution.

　　The four main parts of a lithium battery are positive electrode material, negative electrode material, separator and electrolyte. When dendrites or hand-like lithium ions grow inside, it is very easy to cause short circuits or random explosions to form open flames. Once the dendrites are formed inside the battery, they will rapidly intensify and eventually may pierce the separator between the positive and negative electrodes.

　　The four main parts of a lithium battery are positive electrode material, negative electrode material, separator and electrolyte. When dendrites or hand-like lithium ions grow inside, it is very easy to cause short circuits or random explosions to form open flames. Once the dendrites are formed inside the battery, they will rapidly intensify and eventually may pierce the separator between the positive and negative electrodes, as shown on the left side of the above picture.

　　In order to avoid spontaneous combustion of next-generation batteries, researchers try to find new ways to prevent fire hazards. They added two new chemical components to the electrolyte inside the battery, one of which is lithium nitrate, which can improve battery life, and the other is lithium polysulfide, which can decompose electrodes. During the test, it is possible to control the appearance of harmless pancake-like products inside the battery instead of dendrites. In addition, these two chemical materials also improve the durability of the battery. After 300 battery cycles, the battery capacity still maintains more than 99%.