Li-ion battery leakage can be an indication of a malfunction of a battery and poses a hazard to human health. Early warning systems for people in the vicinity are crucial, but little is known about the dispersion of battery electrolyte vapours in an enclosed space. Passive open-path Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is a powerful tool to detect and quantify compounds in air. It was applied for the investigation of the dispersion of isopropanol (IPA) as a model compound, and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC) as typical solvents of a battery electrolyte in an enclosed space. It was shown that (1) monitoring and quantification of these compounds over space and time is possible, also in a mixture, (2) the DMC concentration in a 1 m3 space can reach concentrations exceeding the protective action criteria (PAC) for irreversible health effects (PAC-2) within 18 min and (3) DEC evaporated much more slowly, reaching PAC-2 within 138 min. The quantification results were verified by a photo-ionisation detector (PID). The findings demonstrate the impact of battery electrolyte composition on the hazards posed by battery leakage and highlight the potential of open-path FTIR technology to better understand the risks of Li-ion battery electrolytes.

HILDEBRAND Stephan;  GORMAN Sam;  LAZAREANU Mircea;  DA COSTA BARATA Ricardo;  LEBEDEVA Natalia; 

2026-09-03

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

JRC144521

2194-4296 (online),   

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ente.70566,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC144521,   

10.1002/ente.70566 (online),