Applications of shear thickening fluids in electrolytes for lithium batteries: A review

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) safety incidents resulting from impact, puncture, and other external forces remain a significant challenge to their wider application and development. To mitigate these challenges, shear-thickening fluids that can eliminate impact energy through a liquid-solid conversion have been developed as electrolytes, thereby enhancing the impact resistance of LIBs. This review delineates the theories on shear thickening mechanism and its validation via numerical simulation methods, with an emphasis on their recent advances in LIB electrolytes. The relationship between the design of shear-thickening electrolytes and their properties is elucidated. Key strategies including surface modification, aspect ratio optimization, increased nanofiller concentration, and the incorporation of nonflammable dispersants are suggested to improve the electrolytes’ thickening behavior and safety performance. Finally, it is emphasized that future advancements in shear-thickening electrolytes should involve the design of novel functional nanofillers to achieve simultaneous enhancements in thickening properties, electrochemical performance and safety.