REVIEW article
Front. Phys.
Sec. Optics and Photonics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1615872
This article is part of the Research TopicAcquisition and Application of Multimodal Sensing Information, Volume IIIView all articles
Gas Detection Technology for Thermal Runaway of Lithium-ion Batteries
Provisionally accepted
- Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This paper presents a comprehensive review of gas detection and early warning technologies for lithium-ion battery thermal runaway a critical safety concern in modern energy storage and electric vehicle applications. With the increasing push for higher battery energy densities, thermal runaway has emerged as a severe risk characterized by rapid self-heating, complex exothermic reactions, and the evolution of flammable gases that can lead to explosions and fires. The review begins by detailing the underlying physicochemical mechanisms of thermal runaway and the subsequent gas generation processes, emphasizing the early evolution of gas signals as a promising indicator for imminent failure. A wide range of detection techniques are critically evaluated, including gas chromatography, Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, metal oxide semiconductor sensors, and non-dispersive infrared technology-each offering unique advantages and facing distinct challenges in practical applications. Special attention is given to the emerging role of optical fiber-based sensors (e.g., Fabry-Perot interferometers, fiber Bragg gratings, and fluorescence-based sensors), which provide notable benefits such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, flexible integration, and high sensitivity for key gases (CO₂, H₂, and CH₄). The paper concludes by discussing the limitations of current approaches and proposes future directions to achieve integrated, cost-effective, and robust battery safety monitoring systems.
Keywords: Gas detection, lithium-ion battery, Thermal runaway, optical fiber, spectroscopy
Received: 22 Apr 2025; Accepted: 22 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qian, Zhao, Li, Wang and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yaohong Zhao, Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.