Researchers from NRNU MEPhI have created a system that can pre-warn about spontaneous combustion of equipment with lithium-ion batteries — from smartphones and headphones to electric scooters. The development is based on gas analysis methods: sensors detect changes in air composition, signaling the beginning of battery thermal runaway, when the temperature has not yet reached a dangerous level.
The device is a line of compact instruments with semiconductor and electrochemical sensors. The former detect methane and hydrocarbons, while the latter expand the range of gases detected. The combination of sensors is selected depending on the type of battery being protected.
During tests, the devices detected dangerous heating in wireless headphone batteries from a distance of five meters. Initially, the development was aimed at small and medium-sized businesses — electronics warehouses, parking lots for electric scooters, buses, and cars, where dozens and hundreds of batteries are stored.
In the next stage, scientists plan to create portable devices for private users. They will help prevent fires, for example, when a phone or scooter is charging at night and thermal runaway develops unnoticed. As the developers note, by the time smoke or fire appears, it is almost impossible to stop the process, and extinguishing a burning lithium-ion battery with water is ineffective.
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