Development of a high-insulation and rapid-response dry powder agent for suppressing fires in lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

To address the insufficient heat absorption and limited cooling performance of conventional ABC dry powder below 300 °C, a novel PA dry powder extinguishing agent with low decomposition temperature and high enthalpy was developed. The material releases 1367 J/g of decomposition enthalpy within 100–180 °C, providing a 96.9 % increase in heat absorption below 300 °C compared with ABC dry powder, thereby effectively matching the early exothermic stage of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway. In fire tests with 51 Ah ternary lithium-ion batteries, uncontrolled combustion lasted 149 s, whereas extinction times were reduced to 10 s with ABC dry powder and 11 s with PA dry powder, shortening burning duration by over 92 % and rapidly suppressing jet flames. Temperature measurements further revealed that PA dry powder reduced the safety valve temperature to 140 °C, markedly lower than 266 °C for ABC dry powder, and the peak temperature after spraying was only 283.3 °C, 165.9 °C lower than that of ABC dry powder. Overall, PA dry powder exhibits both rapid fire suppression and superior cooling capacity, significantly delaying thermal runaway and showing strong application potential.