Researchers Develop Slimmer, Safer Kevlar-based Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are dangerous in the sense that they can explode and catch on fire. We’ve seen this happen to companies like Boeing and their 787 Dreamliner that had to be grounded due to battery fires. We have also seen instances where smartphones with lithium-ion batteries explode and set fire to their surroundings.

The good news is that this is an aspect that researchers are looking at and according to a group of researchers at the University of Michigan, they seem rather optimistic that they have found a potential solution to the problem in the form of Kevlar. What they have done is develop Kevlar-based nano-sized membranes that will insulate the electrodes in a battery, while at the same time allowing lithium ions to pass through.

Basically what this means is that these new lithium-ion batteries are potentially safer and also thinner, which could hopefully lead to smartphones, tablets, or smartwatches packing larger batteries without having to compromise on its size or design, and also ensuring that the wearer/user is safer from potentially combusting batteries as well.

The good news is that unlike previous battery research, these researchers have founded their own company – Elegus Technologies, and are expected to begin the mass production of these Kevlar-based batteries in Q4 2016, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to see these batteries in action!

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones