Thermal Decomposition Behavior and Kinetic Analysis of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte under Different Atmospheric Conditions

Authors

  • Rongkun Pan College of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Coal Work Safety and Clean High Efficiency Utilization, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Prevention and Cure of Mine Methane & Fires, Jiaozuo 454003, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4974-9958
  • Jiayi Yu College of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
  • Jiangkun Chao Collaborative Innovation Center of Coal Work Safety and Clean High Efficiency Utilization, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
  • Daimin Hu 1 College of Safety Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
Article ID: 594
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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18686/cest594

Keywords:

electrolyte , thermal decomposition , coats–redfern method

Abstract

To gain a deeper understanding of the thermal reaction behavior and thermal safety characteristics of lithium-ion battery electrolytes under different atmospheric conditions, this study systematically investigates the thermal decomposition process of 1 mol·L⁻¹ LiPF6 dissolved in three typical solvent systems—EC/EMC, EC/EMC/DMC, and EC/EMC/DEC—using a high-precision microcalorimeter (C600). The analysis is performed under two typical atmospheric conditions: closed adiabatic and nitrogen flow. The heat flow and differential heat flow curves are quantitatively analyzed, and the exothermic onset temperature, thermal intensity, and reaction complexity are compared by integrating the cumulative heat release enthalpy. Furthermore, the Coats–Redfern model is used to extract kinetic parameters, perform global and α-segment fitting, and analyze the trend of reaction path changes. The results show that nitrogen flow significantly inhibits chain-side reactions and improves thermal stability, while under closed conditions, overlapping exothermic peaks and multi-stage releases are more likely to occur. Kinetic analysis reveals that the EC/EMC system exhibits a sharp increase in activation energy during the high conversion stage, suggesting a higher potential for thermal runaway, whereas the EC/EMC/DMC system has a single reaction mechanism and higher activation energy, indicating better thermal safety.

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Published

2026-03-09

How to Cite

Pan, R., Yu, J., Chao, J., & Hu, D. (2026). Thermal Decomposition Behavior and Kinetic Analysis of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte under Different Atmospheric Conditions. Clean Energy Science and Technology, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.18686/cest594

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): In progress

Section

Article

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Copyright (c) 2026 Rongkun Pan, Jiayi Yu, Jiangkun Chao, Daimin Hu

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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