THERMAL BARRIER ASSEMBLIES FOR TRACTION BATTERY PACKS

Thermal barrier assemblies are provided for managing the transfer of thermal energy within traction battery packs. An exemplary thermal barrier assembly may be arranged axially between battery cells of a battery array and may include a thermal suppression container having an outer pouch and a thermal suppression agent releasably contained within the outer pouch, and at least one cell expansion pad located either inside or outside of the outer pouch. The thermal suppression container may be configured to release the thermal suppression agent when a temperature near the outer pouch exceeds a predefined temperature threshold. The thermal suppression agent may capture or trap particles associated with battery vent byproducts, thereby managing or even preventing the transfer of thermal energy to nearby structures. The cell expansion pad may be configured to accommodate batty cell compression and expansion forces.