Scientists at the Stanford University have revealed a new technique that will be able to avoid explosion incidents in lithium-ion batteries. The technique is capable of shutting off the battery if it reaches a certain temperature level and resumes operations once the temperature falls.

The solution that scientists have found is the use of polyethylene film. This new technique will eventually hap in limiting the number of recalls that take place due to the fire accidents in battery-powered devices like recliners, computers, navigation systems and hoverboards.

A polyethylene film was attached with one of the electrodes of the battery to ensure that the electric current will flow through it, according to the lead author of the study, Zheng Chen. "To conduct electricity, the spiky particles have to physically touch one another. But during thermal expansion, polyethylene stretches. That causes the particles to spread apart, making the film nonconductive so that electricity can no longer flow through the battery”, said Chen.

A professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, Zhenan Bao, stated that the team of researchers has created the first of its kind battery that is capable of stopping operations and then resuming them during recurring heating and cooling cycles without affecting the performance.

To resolve the problem of overheating, the researchers used nanotechnology. The experiment involved spiky nickel particles being covered with an atom-thick layer of carbon, known as graphene. Subsequently, the particles are inserted into a thin film of elastic polyethylene.

Now, when the battery’s temperature was raised beyond 160 F (70 C), the polyethylene film blows up like balloon, that results in the spiky particles to part ways and eventually the battery shuts down. However, when the temperature went below 160 F (70 C), the particles came back into contact since the polyethylene shrinkage. This makes the battery start producing electricity again.