Inhibition of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries by fine water mist containing a low-conductivity compound additive

When lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are subjected to thermal, electrical, or mechanical abuse during use or transport, thermal runaway may occur, which can result in fire and explosion. Fine water mist has attracted considerable attention as an efficient, environmentally friendly fire extinguishing medium. We used fine water mist containing a compound additive to suppress the TR of LIBs and studied the effect of different types of additives at various concentrations on TR. The compound additive consisted of urea, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-9), nonionic fluorine surfactant (FC-4430), and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP). The optimal concentration of each component was obtained. An orthogonal experiment based on these optimal concentrations was conducted to determine the additive with the strongest inhibition effect. Fine water mist with this low conductivity compound additive can inhibit TR effectively and reduce the short-circuit damage of batteries without TR caused by water immersion.