US solid-state battery technology developer Nuvvon’s polymer electrolyte has passed a series of nail penetration tests, which create a short circuit inside the cell to determine if the battery catches fire or explodes.

In two sets of tests, which were conducted at The University of Texas at Austin (UTA), traditional 1 Ah cells of commercial grade were built with either Nuvvon’s solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) or conventional liquid electrolyte. The cell containing the liquid electrolyte exploded instantly, while neither of Nuvvon’s SPE cells, the Graphite-NMC811 nor the Lithium-NMC9, ignited.

Nuvvon’s solid polymer electrolyte is a pure polymer system that does not contain any sulfide or oxide nanoparticles. It has room-temperature ionic conductivity of greater than 1 mS/cm at 25° C. It enables thin format for separators (≤20 µm) and is used as the catholyte, anolyte and separator. It is made from low-cost raw materials that are easy to procure, and the cells can be made using existing lithium-ion processes, according to the company.

The technology is designed for applications such as EVs, portable electronics, aerospace and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs).

“Battery safety is a key concern for our partners and customers, and we’re delighted to demonstrate our proprietary technology’s safety characteristics through independent testing, paving the way for faster commercialization of our technology,” said Jonathan Lex, Chief Operating Officer at Nuvvon.

Source: Nuvvon