Lithium-ion battery risks - part 1 | Andrew Maynard | Risk Bites
Channel: Risk Bites
Date: 2013-02-12

What are the hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries, and how can these turn into safety risks?  

As Boeing grapples with lithium-ion battery safety issues in their 787 Dreamliner, Risk Bites looks at the risk science behind these batteries that are increasingly ubiquitous in cell phones, laptops, cars, and now high-tech airplanes.  This week we just cover the bottom-line safety stuff.  Next week Risk Bites will be getting heavy with the science behind how lithium-ion batteries work and how this influences safety and risk.  And if there's enough interest, we may follow that at some point with a Risk Bites on new technologies that either make lithium-ion batteries safer, or provide a safer alternative.

This week's Risk Bites team:
Mike Capracotta (Technical advice)
David Faulkner (Post-production)
Andrew Maynard (all the other stuff)

Useful resources: 

Lithium-ion batteries and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner: http://allthatmatters.heber.org/2013/01/19/lithium-ion-batteries-and-the-boeing-787-dreamliner/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery

Battery technology information from Panasonic: http://industrial.panasonic.com/www-data/pdf/ACA4000/ACA4000PE3.pdf

The Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery: A Perspective. John Goodenough and Kyu-Sung Park, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013, 135 (4), pp 1167--1176 DOI: 10.1021/ja3091438 [Paywall] http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja3091438

Lithium Ion battery research (Steve Harris): http://lithiumbatteryresearch.com/

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