Research Progress on Thermal Runaway and Thermal Management of Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Thermal safety remains a critical barrier to the large‐scale deployment of lithium‐ion batteries. This review summarizes recent progress along the full chain from failure onset to system‐level protection. At the single‐cell level, coupled exothermic reactions—SEI decomposition, anode‐electrolyte side reactions, separator breakdown, cathode oxygen release, and internal short circuit—drive the transition from localized interface instability to violent thermal runaway. At the module and pack levels, heat and ejecta propagate through solid conduction, gas‐phase convection, thermal radiation, and flame impingement, generating cascading failure risks that single‐cell analysis cannot capture. We compare mainstream battery thermal management systems encompassing air cooling, liquid cooling, heat pipes, phase‐change materials, immersion cooling, spray cooling, and hybrid configurations, alongside suppression strategies based on thermal barrier coatings, separator engineering, and integrated structural designs. A central finding is that battery thermal management is evolving from passive heat dissipation toward active, integrated safety regulation. Multimodal sensing, machine‐learning‐based early warning, and digital‐twin platforms now enable proactive identification of thermal runaway precursors and closed‐loop thermal control. Looking forward, robust safety design demands coordinated advances across materials, structures, modeling, and control to further suppress thermal propagation and improve the reliability of early warning and digital‐twin frameworks.