Material Delays Thermal Runaway Even at 1,500°C for 20 Minutes

LG Chem-LX Hausys, Making a Breakthrough in the Development of a Material that Delays Battery Thermal Runaway

30-Oct-2023

LG Chem and LX Hausys have developed 'Special Flame Retardant Continuous Fiber Thermoplastic (Special Flame Retardant CFT)' that can delay battery thermal runaway and withstand a flame at 1,500 degrees Celsius for over 20 minutes.

LG Chem

LG Chem announced that it, together with LX Hausys, has developed a material delaying battery thermal runaway which can withstand a flame at 1,500℃ for over 20 minutes.

The material named "Special Flame Retardant Continuous Fiber Thermoplastic (Special Flame Retardant CFT)" can withstand strong flames and high pressure for over 14 times longer than existing thermoplastics.

As a result of LG Chem's internal test (torch test) subjecting the 1.6 mm thin Special Flame Retardant CFT to temperatures exceeding 1,500°C and pressure, it did not melt, run down, or develop any holes even after 20 minutes. This is the industry’s highest level of flame blocking performance.

The Special Flame Retardant CFT incorporates LG Chem's super flame barrier material technology and LX Hausys' Continuous Fiber Thermoplastics (CFT) manufacturing technology. The super flame barrier material developed by LG Chem last year had the capacity to withstand flames at temperatures exceeding 1,000℃ for over 10 minutes, the longest time in the world at the time. LX Hausys improved the performance of LG Chem material by applying manufacturing technology that layers in the form of tape.

The Special Flame Retardant CFT is solid and has low deformation under force (high rigidity), therefore it can be used in the top and bottom covers of large battery packs among electric vehicle battery components. It is expected that it will effectively delay the spread of flames in the event of an electric vehicle fire, helping to secure the time required for driver evacuation and fire suppression.

Thermal runaway phenomenon is one of the factors that delays the popularization of electric vehicles and has been considered a pain point for electric vehicle and battery customers. LG Chem and LX Hausys resolved the heat and pressure associated with thermal runaway, which was difficult to withstand with existing plastics, through development of the Special Flame Retardant CFT.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1181903/material-delays-thermal-runaway-even-at-1-500c-for-20-minutes.html