Smart materials for safe lithium-ion batteries against thermal runaway

In recent years, the new energy storage system, such as lithium ion batteries (LIBs), has attracted much attention. In order to meet the demand of industrial progress for longer cycle life, higher energy density and cost efficiency, a quantity of research has been conducted on the commercial application of LIBs. However, it is difficult to achieve satisfying safety and cycling performance simultaneously. There may be thermal runaway(TR), external impact, overcharge and overdischarge in the process of battery abuse, which makes the safety problem of LIBs more prominent. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the smart safety materials design towards the goal of preventing TR of LIBs reversibly from different abuse conditions. Benefiting from smart responsive materials and novel structural design, the safety of LIBs can be improved a lot. We expect to provide a comprehensive reference for the development of smart and safe lithium-based battery materials.