As electric vehicles become increasingly common on our roads, ensuring the safety of their battery systems has become a critical challenge for manufacturers and regulators alike.

A new initiative at IMDEA Materials, EV Shield, aims to address one of the most significant risks associated with lithium-ion batteries: thermal runaway.

Led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Xiang Ao, and supported through the institute’s Materialise programme, the project is developing a novel lightweight material capable of acting as both a heat shield and a protective enclosure for electric vehicle batteries during fire events.

Thermal runaway is a chain reaction that can occur within lithium-ion batteries, generating intense heat, flames and the ejection of hazardous particles. Preventing these events from spreading beyond the battery pack is a major focus of current automotive safety research.

“The project is focused on creating a material that can withstand very intense fire scenarios while helping manufacturers meet increasingly demanding safety requirements,” explains Dr Ao.

The one-year project will build upon previous research that has already demonstrated promising fire-resistance performance.

The current phase aims to validate whether the technology can be successfully transferred into an industrially viable solution and manufactured using industrially scalable processes compatible with the automotive sector.

The project will also develop a prototype battery enclosure incorporating the material. In a series of validation tests, batteries undergoing thermal runaway will be placed inside the enclosure to assess its ability to contain flames, heat and particle emissions.

The ultimate goal is to demonstrate that no fire or debris escapes the protective structure, providing an additional layer of safety for electric vehicle battery systems.

Battery safety has become an increasingly important topic worldwide. New regulations, particularly in major electric vehicle markets such as China, are introducing stricter safety requirements for battery packs and thermal runaway protection.

Current solutions often rely on heavier materials or additional safety components, which can increase vehicle weight and reduce available battery space. EV Shield seeks to offer an alternative approach.

“Our idea is to take advantage of advanced fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials, commonly used in aerospace, high-performance automotive applications and sporting equipment,” says Dr. Ao.

“These materials combine low weight with high mechanical performance and can be engineered to provide enhanced fire resistance.”

Compared with conventional materials such as steel or aluminium, the proposed solution offers significant weight savings while maintaining or improving safety performance.

Although full-scale demonstrator testing has not yet been completed, the technology has already undergone a range of preliminary validation tests. Promising results so far have provided the confidence needed to move forward with larger-scale validation activities.

To support the development of EV Shield, IMDEA Materials Institute will develop infrastructure focused on thermal runaway scenarios, strengthening the institute’s position in the growing field of battery safety and fire protection technologies.

Accelerating technology transfer through Materialise

EV Shield was chosen from among 8 proposals as the winner of IMDEA Materials’ Materialise 2026 programme, an initiative designed to help researchers transform promising scientific results into practical industrial solutions.

The Materialise programme offers up to 50.000€ of direct costs to fund and demonstrate the commercial potential or research results to de-risk the technology for industry and investors.

“A panel of six external experts from industry and academia, all specialists in innovation and technology transfer, reviewed the proposals and selected EV-SHIELD, led by Dr. Xiang Ao and Prof. De-Yi Wang for funding,” says Head of technology transfer and pre-award support at IMDEA Materials Institute, Dr. Germán Infante.

The inaugural Materialise call in 2025 selected “BRAID4CARE” (Braided 4D-printed smart implants for cardiovascular and neurovascular personalised surgery), led by Dr. Carlos Aguilar Vega (research associate at IMDEA Materials), Prof. Jon Molina (IMDEA Materials Director) and Prof. Andrés Díaz Lantada (Group Leader at IMDEA Materials).