A lesson in the perils of the race to thinner, more energy-packed devices.

Big battery packs are a balancing challenge -- if the cells work unevenly, one can overheat and burst into flames.

Prof. John Goodenough discovered the advance that made the lithium-ion battery -- and the wireless world -- possible. But now another breakthrough is needed.

One of the biggest problems with the lithium batteries used in everything from laptops to electric cars, its liquid electrolyte. It gets really hot...