Determination of the safety level of an advanced lithium ion battery having a nanostructured Sn-C anode, a high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode, and a polyvinylidene fluoride-based gel electrolyte

In this work we evaluate the safety characteristics of an advanced Sn-C/EC:PC 1:1, LiPF6 PVdF gel electrolyte (GPE)/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 lithium ion polymer battery. The tests are performed by using a complex analysis that combines Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Mass Spectrometry (MS). This is a very convenient tool since it detects eventual thermal decomposition processes and provides information on the nature of their products. The results of the DSC-TGA-MS analysis are here reported and discussed. They demonstrate that both the anode and the cathode sides of the battery may stand temperatures up to ca. 200 deg. C without undergoing thermal decomposition. This is a convincing evidence that the Sn-C/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 lithium ion polymer battery is safe.