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Form Factor and Chemistry Agnostic Battery Deactivation Using Electrically Conductive Gel for Safe Transportation
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2025-05-16
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[PDF-3.66 MB]
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Edition:Final Report. September 2023- December 2024
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Abstract:Removing residual energy from end-of-life batteries prior to transportation re-quires some method of deactivation. While many methods have been proposed, very few have been implemented due to limitations of cost, safety, and efficacy. In this work, multiple cell and battery types (e.g., lithium-polymer pouch cells, 18,650 lithium-ion cell, alkaline batteries, and lithium-ion power-tool batteries) were deactivated using a low-cost and easily applied gel consisting of borax cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol and carbon. The PVA–carbon composite creates an external short-circuit pathway of moderate resistance that enables the complete discharge of batteries. Abusive testing conducted after deactivation demonstrates that hazards are largely eliminated, including a complete avoidance of thermal runaway from lithium-ion cells and a reduction in flammable and toxic gases by several orders of magnitude.
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Content Notes:This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Please cite this article as: Waller, G.H.; Jacob, C.; Green, A.; Carter, R.A.; Love, C.T. Form Factor and Chemistry Agnostic Battery Deactivation Using Electrically Conductive Gel for Safe Transportation. Batteries 2025, 11, 201. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11050201
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