The 'magic fix' for exploding batteries—switching to solid-state—might not actually make them any safer.
April 17, 2026
Original Paper
Paradigm shift in lithium-ion battery safety: Solid-phase redox reactions, not electrolyte combustion, dictate thermal runaway
SSRN · 6589383
The Takeaway
Everyone thought that lithium-ion batteries catch fire because of the liquid 'electrolyte' inside them, so the industry has been racing to build 'solid-state' batteries to solve the problem. But this study reveals that the real trigger for a battery fire happens inside the solid electrodes themselves, through a chemical reaction that has nothing to do with the liquid. This means that even if you remove every drop of liquid, the battery can still overheat and catch fire if the electrodes aren't redesigned. It’s a massive reality check for the electric vehicle and smartphone industries. We’ve been blaming the 'oil' in the engine when the 'pistons' were the real fire hazard all along.
From the abstract
A B S T R A C TThermal runaway (TR) is traditionally attributed to electrolyte flammability, fostering the misconception that solid-state electrolytes are inherently safe. Using a three-strategy accelerating rate calorimetry approach, we decouple the energetic contributions of volatile combustion from solid-phase redox reactions. Strikingly, extracting ~1.7 L of volatiles at 140 °C eliminates all organic solvents but does not significantly reduce TR intensity, the temperature rise rate (dT/dt),