Scientists develop flexible lithium-ion battery that won’t catch fire

Scientists have developed a flexible lithium-ion battery that can not only operate under extreme conditions — including cutting, submersion, and simulated ballistic impact — but also does not catch fire.

Current Li-ion batteries are susceptible to catastrophic fire and explosion incidents — most of which arrive without any discernible warning — because they are built with flammable and combustible materials, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in the US.

They noted that some phones were banned from airlines as a result of this danger, and the US Navy’s prohibition of e-cigarettes on ships and submarines is a direct response to the need to reduce the flammability of such devices.