Safety Comparison of different Lithium Ion Chemistries

There are several reports available on the Web describing the Safety of Lithium Ion batteries and battery Packs.

In particular a Sandia National Laboratory Safety Study Report published in 2008 (link below)

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f12/merit08_roth.pdf

In Summary, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Cell Chemistry, is safer and more abuse tolerant

 

Lithium ion batteries are not all the same

There are a wide number of chemistries used in Li-Ion batteries.

• Oxide Base Lithium ion: Conventional lithium ion battery cathodes have been transition metal oxides that use cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), or nickel (Ni) based oxides
• Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP): Safest Chemistry uses chemically stable LFP which does not exhibit the energetic thermal runaway that metal oxide lithium ion cells experience.

 

There are a wide number of chemistries used in Li-Ion batteries. LFP batteries avoid the reactivity, safety, and abuse sensitivity issues involved with the use of lithium metal cathodes by using phosphate for its cathode; no metallic lithium is present in the cell. Li-Ion batteries with liquid electrolyte are rechargeable batteries and have a cathode of various classes of materials that include layered LiMO2 (M = Co, Ni, Mn or combinations of these or other metals, i.e. Al, Mg, etc.), olivines (LiFePO4), or spinels such as manganese oxides. The anode is usually a form of carbon, namely, coke, natural and synthetic graphites, mesophase carbon micro beads (MCMB) or carbon fibers. The electrolyte in these cells is made up of a combination of organic carbonates and a salt. The most commonly used salt is LiPF6 (lithium hexafluorophosphate). Other salts such as LiBOB (Lithium bisoxalatoborate) or LiBF4 (lithium tetrafluoroborate) have also been used.