Triggering Li-ion Battery Cells with Laser Radiation

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a high-powered infrared (IR) laser that can trigger Li-ion battery cells into thermal runaway (TR) without perforating the battery’s wall like previous methods. Inducing TR in a battery cell allows engineers to test and improve the safety performance of overheated batteries that can potentially catch fire or explode. The primary advantage of this method is the heat energy delivered by the laser can be localized to the exact target spot on the battery cell minimizing thermal biasing to adjacent cells.