In the fast-growing new energy industry, lithium batteries are the core power source driving the transformation of transportation, energy storage, and consumer electronics. However, thermal runaway has long been a sword of Damocles hanging over the industry—when a battery malfunctions due to short circuits, overcharging, or extrusion, its internal temperature can soar to over 1000℃ in just 5 to 6 seconds, triggering chain reactions such as fire and explosion. On April 17, 2026, a major breakthrough was announced: the research team led by Professor Shen Xiaodong from Nanjing Tech University successfully developed the world’s first high-thermal-resistance aerogel insulation sheet for new energy lithium-ion batteries that can withstand temperatures up to 1300℃, rewriting the global pattern of lithium battery safety protection.
The Long-Standing Pain Point: Thermal Runaway Plagues the New Energy Industry
Lithium batteries have witnessed explosive growth over the past decade, powering everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to large-scale energy storage stations and portable electronics. Data shows that the global power battery installed capacity reached 1.2 TWh in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of 42%. However, safety hazards, especially thermal runaway, have become a critical bottleneck restricting the high-quality development of the industry.
Thermal runaway is the root cause of most lithium battery safety accidents. When an abnormality occurs inside the battery, a series of exothermic chemical reactions are triggered, and the high temperature spreads rapidly between adjacent cells like a domino effect. Statistics indicate that more than 80% of global new energy vehicle and energy storage power station safety accidents in the first quarter of 2026 were directly caused by lithium battery thermal runaway.
Thermal insulation materials are the key line of defense to block the spread of thermal runaway, but traditional materials all have obvious flaws. Flame-retardant foam can only withstand temperatures up to 300℃ and will melt and burn at extreme temperatures; mica boards can tolerate 600℃ but have low thermal insulation efficiency and poor toughness; ordinary aerogel felt, though lightweight, can only stand 650℃ and is prone to fragmentation during long-term use. As the energy density of lithium batteries continues to increase, the risk of thermal runaway rises exponentially, making the development of new high-temperature resistant materials an urgent need.
Thermal runaway is the root cause of most lithium battery safety accidents. When an abnormality occurs inside the battery, a series of exothermic chemical reactions are triggered, and the high temperature spreads rapidly between adjacent cells like a domino effect. Statistics indicate that more than 80% of global new energy vehicle and energy storage power station safety accidents in the first quarter of 2026 were directly caused by lithium battery thermal runaway.
Thermal insulation materials are the key line of defense to block the spread of thermal runaway, but traditional materials all have obvious flaws. Flame-retardant foam can only withstand temperatures up to 300℃ and will melt and burn at extreme temperatures; mica boards can tolerate 600℃ but have low thermal insulation efficiency and poor toughness; ordinary aerogel felt, though lightweight, can only stand 650℃ and is prone to fragmentation during long-term use. As the energy density of lithium batteries continues to increase, the risk of thermal runaway rises exponentially, making the development of new high-temperature resistant materials an urgent need.
20 Years of R&D: Breaking Through the 1300℃ Barrier
Aerogel, known as "the lightest solid in the world," is an ideal thermal insulation material because more than 90% of its interior is air, giving it extremely low thermal conductivity. However, traditional aerogels are brittle and have limited high-temperature resistance, making them unable to adapt to extreme lithium battery scenarios. Professor Shen Xiaodong’s team has been deeply engaged in R&D for more than 20 years, breaking through bottlenecks from basic theory to process technology, and finally achieving a leap from 650℃ to 1300℃ in temperature tolerance.
The team’s core breakthroughs lie in two aspects: structural reconstruction and process innovation. In terms of structure, the team adjusted the catalyst to a strong alkaline environment, making nanoparticles form firm chemical bonds, like installing a "steel frame" for the aerogel; at the same time, high-temperature resistant nano-fillers such as silicon carbide and boron nitride were added to form a composite structure, greatly improving high-temperature resistance. Inspired by silicone rubber, the team also performed "micro-surgery" on the aerogel’s molecular structure, selectively "removing" some connection nodes of the nanopore grid to make the material flexible—its elastic compression rate exceeds 90%, perfectly adapting to the expansion and contraction of batteries during charging and discharging.
In terms of process, the team developed an optimized supercritical CO₂ drying technology. By improving the ethanol purity, optimizing the CO₂ flow field distribution, and mastering the pressure control balance, they increased the ethanol recovery rate to over 99.5%, reducing raw material loss by 90% and cutting production costs by half. This technological breakthrough has realized the transformation from laboratory research to industrial mass production.
Authoritative testing shows that this new aerogel insulation sheet has outstanding performance: it can withstand 1300℃ for a long time and 1500℃ instantaneously; with a thickness of only 2.3mm, when one side is exposed to 1000℃ high temperature for 5 minutes, the other side’s temperature does not exceed 100℃, and the thermal insulation time can be extended to 2 hours; it is non-flammable, smokeless, and non-toxic, meeting environmental protection requirements.
Full-Scenario Application: Reshaping the New Energy Safety Pattern
This technological breakthrough is not just a laboratory achievement but has been mass-produced and quickly applied to core scenarios such as power batteries, energy storage power stations, and consumer electronics, injecting strong momentum into the safety upgrade of the entire lithium battery industry.
In the field of new energy vehicles, leading power battery and automakers such as CATL, BYD, Xiaomi Auto, and NIO have completed test verification and are applying this material to new-generation battery packs. It can completely block the spread of high temperature after a single cell triggers thermal runaway, perfectly meeting the strict requirements of the new national standard "no fire, no explosion" to be implemented on July 1, 2026. At the same time, its ultra-thin and lightweight characteristics will not increase the weight of the battery pack or affect the cruising range.
In the field of energy storage power stations, composed of thousands of cells, the new aerogel insulation sheet can build a comprehensive protection system. Even if a single cell fails and catches fire, it can be confined to a local area, buying sufficient time for fire fighting and disposal. At present, it has been applied to industrial and commercial energy storage projects by enterprises such as Sungrow Power Supply and CATL Energy Storage.
Beyond new energy vehicles and energy storage, this material also has broad application prospects in aerospace, high-temperature industrial furnaces, oil and gas exploration, and other extreme high-temperature scenarios, providing reliable thermal insulation solutions for high-reliability equipment.
The successful development of the world’s first 1300℃ high-temperature resistant lithium battery material is a milestone breakthrough in the field of lithium battery safety protection. It not only solves the long-standing thermal runaway problem of lithium batteries but also provides solid technical support for the high-quality development of the new energy industry.
In the field of new energy vehicles, leading power battery and automakers such as CATL, BYD, Xiaomi Auto, and NIO have completed test verification and are applying this material to new-generation battery packs. It can completely block the spread of high temperature after a single cell triggers thermal runaway, perfectly meeting the strict requirements of the new national standard "no fire, no explosion" to be implemented on July 1, 2026. At the same time, its ultra-thin and lightweight characteristics will not increase the weight of the battery pack or affect the cruising range.
In the field of energy storage power stations, composed of thousands of cells, the new aerogel insulation sheet can build a comprehensive protection system. Even if a single cell fails and catches fire, it can be confined to a local area, buying sufficient time for fire fighting and disposal. At present, it has been applied to industrial and commercial energy storage projects by enterprises such as Sungrow Power Supply and CATL Energy Storage.
Beyond new energy vehicles and energy storage, this material also has broad application prospects in aerospace, high-temperature industrial furnaces, oil and gas exploration, and other extreme high-temperature scenarios, providing reliable thermal insulation solutions for high-reliability equipment.