When the temperature reaches 150C (302F), a shell releases flame-retardant triphenyl phosphate (TPP) into the electrolyte fluid.
Battery fires were extinguished in 0.4 seconds when researchers at Stanford University put the innovation through its paces.
It’s not the first time such a feat has been accomplished using TTP, but previous attempts have hampered battery performance.
The results were documented in a peer-reviewed paper by the Stanford University research team and published by the journal Science Advances.
Lithium-ion batteries power smartphones, tablets, laptops and other power-hungry personal devices because they pack so much power into such a small space.
However, they’re also seen as a fire hazard, with a “battery cell issue” accounting for 35 confirmed cases of Samsung smartphones catching fire or exploding. There have also been incidents involving hoverboards and e-cigarettes.
The batteries have caused so many fires on board airplanes that the US National Transportation Safety Board issued a warning about lithium batteries in aeroplane cargo in February 2016.
Lithium-ion battery cells catch fire if they charge too quickly or because of flaws created in the manufacturing process, often a problem with counterfeit goods.
Ian Fogg, senior analyst at IHS, told BBC News that “there is enormous pressure to improve battery tech. It’s one of the areas that’s holding back mobile devices and a range of other products.”
“Manufacturers have been balancing out consumer demand for longer-lived batteries, and more powerful devices with better graphics and larger more detailed displays, with the sophistication of battery tech.
“It’s very difficult to push up the capacity of batteries and there is always a risk that a battery in any device could fail.”
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