Presented by

Judith Jeevarajan

Research Director, Underwriters Laboratories

Abstract: In recent years, lithium-ion cells in the commercial market that are counterfeit have proliferated significantly. Li-ion cells and batteries of very low quality are being sold at very low prices and can be purchased with a fast turnaround time on the internet. Our studies have shown that these cells and batteries do not provide the capacity stated on the label and they do not have the protective features that are typically found in equivalent cell designs that are made by top quality manufacturers. The results of our studies will be presented.

Bio: Dr. Judith Jeevarajan is the Research Director at Underwriters Laboratories. She has worked in the area of battery safety research for more than 23 years with a primary focus on lithium-ion chemistry. She has a M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame (’91) and she graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry (Electrochemistry) from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1995. Dr. Jeevarajan supported the Boeing 787 Investigation as a member of a Non-Advocate Review panel as well as an advisory member to the FAA and also supported an NTSB informational forum on Li-ion batteries. Dr. Jeevarajan has made more than 125 presentations at conferences and has won numerous NASA awards the most recent of them being the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA-NESC Engineering Excellence Award.