Researchers step closer to stopping laptop battery fires

The lithium ion batteries used in devices such as laptops, but is known to occasionally overheat and catch fire. Packard Bell laptops recalled last year for battery problems, such as Acer, Lenovo and others.

This is because small fibers - called dendrites - are formed when the batteries are charged quickly or frequently, causing a short circuit, overheating and even fires.

Professor Clare Grey, Department of Chemistry, Cambridge, said: "These fibers lithium dead have been a major obstacle for the commercialization of the new generation of higher-capacity batteries that use lithium metal as anode instead of carbon today. "

So far it has been difficult to study the phenomenon. But Grey and her fellow researchers at the University of Cambridge have begun to use MRI to look inside cells and see the chemistry in action. "

"Now that we can control the formation of dendrites in intact cells, we can identify when and under what conditions," Grey said in a statement. "Our new method should allow researchers to identify what conditions lead to the formation of dendrites and quickly review possible solutions to avoid the problem."

That could lead to this type of battery used in battery cars, he said. "Fire safety is a major problem to be solved before we can get to the next generation of lithium ion batteries and safely before they can use these batteries in a wider range of transport applications."