3 Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Developing the Lithium-Ion Battery.

Pedro_P

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It powers our life?

(Image: © Shutterstock)
▼  It's both the bane of our existence and a godsend. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers most of our devices from smartphones to laptops to electric cars. And the three men who were integral to its development have just been awarded the Nobel Prize in  chemistry.
John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino will share this year's Nobel "for the development of lithium-ion batteries," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said this morning.
Whittingham, of Binghamton University, State University of New York, while developing technologies for fossil fuel-free energy, discovered an energy-rich material that he used to create a cathode (negatively charged electrode) in a lithium-ion battery. When looked at on the molecular level, that cathode — made from titanium disulfide — had little nooks where lithium ions could hide out. The resulting battery, with metallic lithiumas the anode, created 2 volts of power.
"However, metallic lithium is reactive and the battery was too explosive to be viable," the Nobel Prize foundation said in a statement.
Goodenough, of The University of Texas at Austin, created a similar battery using cobalt oxide (also with little lithium ions hidden in its empty spaces) as the cathode, resulting in as much as 4 volts of power. "This was an important breakthrough and would lead to much more powerful batteries," the Nobel Prize foundation said.
Then, building on Goodenough's cathode, Yoshino "created the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery in 1985," the Nobel Prize foundation said. Yoshino, who is at the Asahi Kasei Corporation, Tokyo, and Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan, switched out the material for the anode. Instead of metallic lithium, he used a carbon material called petroleum coke that can hide lithium ions in its molecular spaces.
This battery doesn't rely on chemical reactions as others had and instead relies on the flow of lithium ions between the anode and cathode. The result? A lightweight battery that can be charged hundreds of times before its performance takes a hit.
In addition to keeping all our gadgets charged, lithium-ion batteries can store plenty of energy from solar and wind power.
"Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized our lives since they first entered the market in 1991. They have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind," the Nobel Prize foundation said.
The three laureates will share the Nobel prize of 9 million kronor (about $909,000).

► This news was originally published here: Source

asr335704

Kudos to them. They deserve this award. Although I feel Nobel prize is given to them very late but still 'better late then never'.

We are using these batteries very frequently in our life for various purposes.

Rhett_Bassard

asr335704 11-10-2019 06:12 AM
Kudos to them. They deserve this award. Although I feel Nobel prize is given to them very late but s ...

"...very late", i.e. Professor Goodenough is now 97 years old.

parivijesh100

Nobel prize organisers should awarding at the right age for motivating others. Awarding in 80s & 90s is depressing,

chanakyakripa

parivijesh100 12-10-2019 02:08 PM
Nobel prize organisers should awarding at the right age for motivating others. Awarding in 80s & 90s ...

Correctly said. Any prize is but a recognition, a motivation.
Also there is a rule that Nobel prize cannot be awarded posthumously.

pgalmora

They surely deserved this award. Heartiest congratulations to all of them.

stockjeeves

Congratulations to the scientists

pvk_udt

This was a great invention which has had a great impact on our lives. The  way these batteries have evolved has changed the way we communicate. A big kudos to these scientists...though I feel they should have been honoured long back

abhidebb

Great Post. Thank you for sharing such a well-written article.