Smart Sensors Could Detect Battery Failures Before They Ignite
Engineers at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI) have developed a family of compact devices designed to detect the earliest signs of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries – an uncontrolled heating process that can release flammable gases and ultimately lead to fire or explosion.
Stories about electric scooters catching fire inside apartments or electric vehicles igniting in parking garages have become increasingly common. The lithium-ion batteries that power modern electronics also carry an inherent risk: thermal runaway. Researchers at NRNU MEPhI have proposed a system that could identify the danger before the first visible signs of fire appear.
Detecting Failure Before It Escalates
Conventional temperature sensors used in today's electronics respond only after a lithium-ion battery has already reached dangerously high temperatures, when intervention may come too late. By contrast, the new gas analysis systems detect electrolyte decomposition products at the earliest stages of failure, while temperatures remain below critical thresholds and before any visible flame develops.
A team at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI has developed a family of compact devices built around semiconductor and electrochemical gas sensors. The former detect methane and hydrocarbon gases, while the latter expand the range of detectable compounds. Sensor configurations can be tailored to specific battery chemistries and operating environments.
The work builds on a substantial body of earlier research. Between 2023 and 2024, MEPhI scientists investigated miniature hydrogen sensors based on silicon carbide and field-effect gas-sensitive structures. Those advances now underpin compact instruments capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of hazardous gases under demanding operating conditions.
Where the Technology Could Be Used First
Although the system has not yet reached commercial deployment, its first applications are expected to involve facilities where large numbers of batteries are stored or charged simultaneously. These include electronics warehouses, electric scooter parking facilities, charging stations for electric cars and electric buses, rental fleets, and data centers equipped with backup battery systems.
The underlying economics are straightforward. A single sensor array can monitor multiple battery-powered devices, while preventing even one fire could offset the cost of the equipment many times over. Once hazardous gas concentrations are detected, the system could do more than trigger an alarm. It could automatically disconnect charging equipment, activate ventilation, notify operators, or isolate the affected battery.
Looking ahead, the researchers plan to develop portable consumer versions for apartments, private homes, and garages. Such devices could warn users while smartphones, laptops, or electric scooters are charging – scenarios that, according to fire statistics, are becoming an increasingly common cause of residential fires.
For users, that could provide enough advance warning to disconnect a device, remove it from the building, or call emergency responders before conditions become critical. For Russia, the technology could strengthen safety systems at charging stations, warehouses, public transportation facilities, and industrial sites.
Complementary Approaches
MEPhI's technology is not the only Russian battery safety innovation to emerge in 2026.
Researchers at Saint Petersburg State University introduced a protective polymer film that slows heat and gas release during an internal short circuit. In laboratory tests, an unprotected battery ignited after 15 seconds and reached 350°C, whereas a battery protected by the film discharged over approximately 15 minutes while remaining below 75°C. That approach, however, mitigates failures once they begin rather than detecting them in advance.
MEPhI researchers have also moved further upstream by developing batteries with a quasi-solid-state electrolyte that are inherently nonflammable, with production scheduled to begin in 2028. Separately, Russian fire safety specialists have introduced dedicated technologies for extinguishing lithium battery fires.
Taken together, these efforts point toward a multilayered safety architecture: nonflammable batteries for future devices, protective films for upgrading existing cells, specialized firefighting systems for suppressing battery fires, and MEPhI's gas-analysis sensors for the earliest possible warning. Rather than competing, the technologies address different stages of the same safety challenge.
Scaling Up and Looking Beyond Russia
The next phase is expected to involve pilot deployments at large industrial and commercial facilities. Before the technology can be widely adopted, developers will need to demonstrate how early the system can reliably detect thermal runaway, how accurately it distinguishes hazardous battery emissions from ordinary airborne contaminants, and how many sensors are required to monitor a given space effectively.
The technology also has clear international relevance. Thermal runaway remains a challenge for manufacturers and operators of battery-powered equipment worldwide. One advantage of the Russian approach is its flexibility, allowing different sensor combinations to be configured for specific battery chemistries. Reaching international markets, however, will require global certification, independently validated testing, robust protection against false alarms, and competitive pricing.
If large-scale trials prove successful, MEPhI's gas-analysis sensors could become an integral component of Russia's industrial Internet of Things infrastructure and automated fire protection systems – operating quietly in the background while providing warnings long before smoke or flames appear.
