Recent Advances and Future Perspectives in Thermal Runaway Prevention and Control of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Widespread deployment of lithium-ion batteries in energy storage and transportation increases the need to prevent and control thermal runaway and associated hazards. Focusing on energy storage systems using lithium iron phosphate batteries while drawing on other battery chemistries, this review examines failure mechanisms, hazard evolution, mitigation technologies, and engineering applicability. It analyzes coupled interfacial reactions, material transformations, and structural failure, alongside the effects of chemistry, state of charge, capacity, and aging. Multisignal warning and intervention, passive thermal barriers, active fire suppression and cooling, and combined strategies are compared in terms of mechanisms and operating conditions. Engineering assessment addresses experimental comparability, maturity, scalability, cost, and environmental safety. The synthesis identifies flame extinguishment, cell thermal stabilization, and propagation prevention as distinct objectives requiring complementary indicators. Warning effectiveness depends on timely intervention, whereas barrier–cooling integration depends on heat-transfer pathways, agent accessibility, and sustained supply. Technology selection therefore requires validation at the intended scale under relevant application constraints. Future priorities include linking warning to intervention, integrating barriers with sustained cooling, and developing evaluation frameworks with clearly defined applicability. Engineering validation should also incorporate long-term reliability, life-cycle costs, environmental impacts, and personnel safety to support application-specific mitigation strategies.