The all-solid-state battery still shines when cut! National Taiwan University of Science and Technology develops new technology to reduce fire risk

After the battery is fully charged, even if it is punctured or cut, it does not heat up significantly, and the connected LED bulb can continue to shine! The team of Chair Professor Huang Bingzhao and Assistant Professor Huang Zhenrui of the Department of Chemical Engineering of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology developed an all-solid-state lithium-ion battery and won the runner-up in the energy group in the 2026 Net Zero Tech international net-zero emission technology competition; the team of Honorary Chair Professor Zhong Taisheng of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology won the runner-up in the sustainability group with gas separation membrane technology. Both teams received a bonus of NT$600,000.

The National Taiwan University of Science and Technology said that after being punctured, traditional liquid lithium batteries may heat up rapidly and even smoke and catch fire. The research team conducted puncture and cutting tests on all-solid-state batteries that were charged to 100% capacity, and monitored them with instruments. The results showed that there was almost no significant temperature rise. Even if the soft-pack battery was cut when it was powered, the LED light continued to light up, and there were no obvious abnormalities in the battery. This shows that the risk of fire and thermal runaway caused by mechanical damage can be significantly reduced.

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The team also introduced a dry electrode process, which directly mixes the materials and then rolls them into shape, eliminating the need for traditional steps such as mixing, coating, drying and solvent recovery, reducing the use of organic solvents and energy consumption. It also uses silicon anode film technology to improve the cracking problem caused by the expansion and contraction of the silicon material when the battery is repeatedly charged and discharged. In the future, it is expected to be used in fields such as wearable devices, drones and medical equipment.

Another award-winning technology is the "separation" of industrial exhaust gases. Zhong Taisheng's team develops high-performance gas separation membranes that use the characteristics of different gas molecules to allow specific gases to pass through the membrane to improve the efficiency of carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen purification. One of the technologies increased the carbon dioxide permeability by 45%; the other increased the hydrogen separation selectivity for carbon dioxide from 2.83 to 69.99, and maintained stable performance during a 300-hour dry-wet cycle test.

Waste batteries can also be turned into energy materials. The team of Professor Zhang Jiayao from the Department of Chemical Engineering used ultrasonic treatment and oxidation activation technology to reactivate the black powder after recycling waste lithium batteries and convert it into materials required for electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen and lithium-air batteries. The team won the "UOB Investment Trust Sustainability Technology Award" in the sustainability group. Prototype verification has been completed and the four-unit module can produce approximately 150 ml of hydrogen per minute.

In addition, the teams of Wang Fumin, Distinguished Professor of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and Chen Yuxun, Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, also won outstanding works in the sustainability group and energy group respectively.