Innovative Centre for Flexible Devices (iFLEX), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
Adv Mater. 2018 Mar;30(13):e1704347. doi: 10.1002/adma.201704347. Epub 2018 Jan 24.
Thermal runway constitutes the most pressing safety issue in lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors of large-scale and high-power density due to risks of fire or explosion. However, traditional strategies for averting thermal runaway do not enable the charging-discharging rate to change according to temperature or the original performance to resume when the device is cooled to room temperature. To efficiently control thermal runaway, thermal-responsive polymers provide a feasible and reversible strategy due to their ability to sense and subsequently act according to a predetermined sequence when triggered by heat. Herein, recent research progress on the use of thermal-responsive polymers to enhance the thermal safety of electrochemical storage devices is reviewed. First, a brief discussion is provided on the methods of preventing thermal runaway in electrochemical storage devices. Subsequently, a short review is provided on the different types of thermal-responsive polymers that can efficiently avoid thermal runaway, such as phase change polymers, polymers with sol-gel transitions, and polymers with positive temperature coefficients. The results represent the important development of thermal-responsive polymers toward the prevention of thermal runaway in next-generation smart electrochemical storage devices.
热失控是大规模、高功率密度锂离子电池和超级电容器最紧迫的安全问题，存在火灾或爆炸的风险。然而，传统的避免热失控的策略不能根据温度改变充放电速率，也不能在设备冷却到室温时恢复原始性能。为了有效地控制热失控，热响应聚合物提供了一种可行的、可逆的策略，因为它们能够在受到热触发时根据预定的顺序进行感测和随后的响应。本文综述了热响应聚合物在增强电化学储能器件热安全性方面的最新研究进展。首先，简要讨论了防止电化学储能器件热失控的方法。随后，简要回顾了可以有效避免热失控的不同类型的热响应聚合物，如相转变聚合物、具有溶胶-凝胶转变的聚合物和具有正温度系数的聚合物。这些结果代表了热响应聚合物在预防下一代智能电化学储能器件热失控方面的重要发展。
