From Flame Extinguishment to Reignition Control: Fire Suppressants, Sustained Cooling Mechanisms, and Fire-Safety Challenges in Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

Lithium-ion battery fires are governed by continuous heat release during thermal runaway, flammable gas venting, and thermal coupling between adjacent cells. Even after visible flames are extinguished, post-extinguishment temperature rise, thermal runaway propagation, and reignition may still occur. This review establishes a full-process control framework linking flame suppression, sustained cooling, thermal runaway propagation mitigation, and reignition control. Within this framework, water-based agents, clean gaseous agents, dry powder agents, foams, cryogenic media, and hybrid suppression methods are not only compared by their flame extinguishment performance but also by their cooling capability, thermal runaway propagation/reignition control, scenario applicability, and environmental impacts. Evaluation metrics and standardization requirements are further integrated to support cross-study comparison and practical suppressant selection. Existing studies indicate that a single suppressant is generally unable to achieve both rapid flame extinguishment and post-extinguishment thermal stability. Multi-mechanism synergy, realistic scenario validation, and standardized evaluation protocols are therefore essential for improving the full-process control of lithium-ion battery fires.