An electrolyte additive for thermal shutdown protection of Li-ion batteries

A thermally polymerizable monomer, 1,1′-(methylenedi-4,1-phenylene) bismaleimide (BMI), is investigated as a safety electrolyte additive for thermal protection of lithium ion batteries. The experimental results demonstrate that the BMI additive can polymerize to cause the rapid solidification of electrolyte at 110 °C, which can effectively block off the ion transport between electrodes, thus generating a thermal shutdown of the electrode reactions for safe control of lithium ion batteries. Meanwhile, the addition of BMI additive has no significant influence on the normal charge–discharge performance of rechargeable lithium batteries, showing a great prospect for battery applications.