Starch as the Flame Retardant for Electrolytes in Lithium-Ion Cells

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to illustrate the flame retardant properties of corn starch that is used as an additive to the classic electrolytes in lithium-ion cells. The advantages of using natural biomass include the increased biodegradability of the cell, compliance with the slogan of green chemistry, as well as the widespread availability and easy isolation of this ingredient. Due to the non-Newtonian properties of starch, it increases work safety and prevents the occurrence of thermal runaway as a shear-thinning fluid in the event of a collision. Thus, its use may, in the future, prevent explosions that affect electric cars with lithium-ion batteries without significantly degrading the electrochemical parameters of the cell. In the manuscript, the viscosity test, flash point measurements, the SET (self-extinguishing time) test and conductivity measurements were performed, in addition to the determination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for the anode system. Additionally, the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, for both flow and conductivity, were determined for a deeper analysis; this constitutes the scientific novelty of this study. Through mathematical analysis, it was shown that the optimal amount of added starch is 5%. This is supported primarily by the determined kinetic and thermodynamic parameters and the fact that the system did not gel during heating.

Thermal Studies of Lithium-Ion Cells: Ensuring Safe and Efficient Energy Storage

“…In this situation, the possibility of battery explosions and fire increases. Many manufacturers of digital devices such as Lenovo and Apple have experienced substantial economic losses in the past decades as a result of thermal runaway issues [37,38]. Therefore, recognizing the thermal runaway of LIBs is essential to avoid all types of problems related to high temperatures.…”

Replacing Harmful Flame Retardants with Biodegradable Starch-Based Materials in Polyethylene Formulations

“…Starch is an inexpensive and naturally occurring polysaccharide that exhibits charring properties, and has been considered as a potential biobased flame retardant for various different applications [25,26]. In this work, we investigated the possibility of replacing a commercial flame retardant (FR L069) used in LDPE formulations with a starch-based flame retardant, thereby reducing production costs and increasing both the safety and biodegradability of the final material.…”

Multi‐crosslinked, ecofriendly flame‐retardant starch‐based composite aerogels with high compression‐resistance

“…The attribute had been employed in flame‐retardant applications, and it was found that whole grain starch addition to polymers was able to reduce the calorific value, the flame spread rate and the generation of smoke of the composites. [ 26–28 ] However, the fire resistance of pristine starch materials is not high enough for practical requirements; it is usually necessary to combine starch with other flame retardants to meet the practical application via synergistic effects. [ 29,30 ] To promote the mechanical performance of starch aerogels and endow them fire‐resistance simultaneously, borax was adopted based on the following consideration.…”