New advanced material to shut down overheating laptop batteries

Friday, November 13, 2009

Taiwan's national research organization, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, announced this week that they had successfully developed a product called Stoba that could help prevent damaged lithium-ion laptop batteries from overheating and exploding, according to Reuters.

At normal operating temperatures, Stoba is a porous material that does not affect the chemical reaction that operates a lithium ion battery. During an internal short, the battery temperature will rise rapidly, which can cause fires and even explosions. However, Stoba changes from a porous material to a film when heated to unsafe temperatures, which immediately stops the reaction and averts the possible violent release of heat.

The website Daily Tech writes that worries about lithium-ion battery safety have plagued commercial flyers for years, and the industry routinely recalls defective batteries rather than run the risk of a catastrophic meltdown.

Zinc-air technology will soon be the dominant paradigm for mobile electronic battery power, but that technology is not yet advanced enough to power modern consumer electronic devices. Stoba, in the meantime, should ensure a greater measure of safety.