: Why do lithium ion batteries explode/catch fire when they are punchered?

Question

: Why do lithium ion batteries explode/catch fire when they are punchered?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

A common issue is called “thermal runaway”. When the battery gets hot past a certain point, chemical reactions start to happen, which creates more heat, which increases the reaction, which creates more heat, and so on. This leads to fires and explosions.

Common root causes are:

internal shorts

overcharging

temperatures outside the rated operation of the battery (too hot, or….too cold)