Current trends, challenges, and prospects in material advances for improving the overall safety of lithium-ion battery pack

This review aims to summarize the safety concerns in LIBs, as well as the safety measures taken by various researchers and recent significant developments from a materials perspective. The advances in materials include material modifications, the development of novel materials, and the use of additives. The safety strategies of LIBs from advances in inner battery material as well as in outer material perspective have been reviewed. The advances in inner battery materials include improvements in cathode materials, and anode materials, using non-flammable electrolytes, flame-retardant additives, and overcharge protective additives, which help to improve the battery’s safety from electrochemical and thermal abuses. The advances in the outer material to enhance battery safety involve the improvement in battery thermal management systems (BTMS) materials and battery protective casing materials. The BTMS enhances the LIB’s safety from thermal abuses and the battery protective casing enhances the battery’s safety from mechanical and thermal abuses. This paper provides valuable insight into strategies like material modification, novel material development, and additives used by researchers to increase the safety of LIBs as well as motivation for further advancement in high energy density batteries.