Heat generation of mechanically abused lithium-ion batteries modified by carbon black micro-particulates

In the current study, we experimentally investigated the effects of carbon black micro-particulates (CBMP) on the temperature increase of lithium-ion battery coin cells subjected to nail penetration and blunt impact. The major difference between CBMP and regular carbon black additives is in particle size. The testing data showed that addition of 1 wt% of CBMP in the cathode and anode does not influence the cycle life, while can reduce the heat generation rate by nearly 50%, after the peak temperature is reached. Thermal treatment of the modified cells at 100 °C would further reduce the heat generate rate. The initial temperature increase rate, the maximum temperature, as well as the total energy dissipation are not affected. These findings shed light on thermal runaway mitigation of high-energy batteries.