Abstractions blog
John Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on lithium-ion batteries.
Three researchers were honored with a Nobel Prize in Chemistry this morning for their roles in the development of lithium-ion batteries, a technology that has made possible our mobile electronic world of cellular phones and electric cars.John Goodenoughof University of Texas in Austin,Stanley Whittinghamof Binghamton University, and Akira Yoshino of Meijo University share equally in the prize.
“Over two-thirds of the world’s population own a mobile device, be it a smart phone, a laptop or tablet, and nearly all powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, ”saidPaul Coxon, a professor of materials science and metallurgy at the University of Cambridge, in an email. “They are the hidden workhorses of the mobile era, which came about thanks to fundamental research that began over 40 years ago. ”Today’s prize honors the roles that Goodenough, Whittingham and Yoshino each played in that transformational work.
When the researchers had started their work in the 1970 s , the world was faced with an energy crisis and an environmental one, both of which had been building for decades. At the dawn of the electric era in the late 19 th century, batteries were common fixtures of early automobiles and other devices. But they were heavy and inefficient, and research on improving them stagnated. Petroleum fuels quickly took over as the main source of energy used to power automobiles and other demanding systems.
But in the 1960 s, the dangers of such heavy reliance on oil were becoming apparent. In the United States, oil shortages, coupled with smog-filled cities and other environmental dangers, made it clear that research was needed (and quickly) to find more sustainable ways of storing and using energy.
And so work on batteries made a comeback. In particular, scientists sought one that could take advantage of lithium, the lightest metal in the periodic table and a material particularly predisposed to forming ions by giving up electrons. But “in order to use lithium in a battery, you really need to tame its reactivity,” saidOlof Ramström, a professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell and a member of the Nobel Prize committee, during the announcement today. “And that’s exactly what the work of the laureates has achieved.”
Batteries essentially store and release energy through a series of chemical reactions that occur at two electrodes, a positively charged cathode and a negatively charged anode. Positive ions move from anode to cathode through an electrolyte between the two, which in turn prompts electrons to flow the other way through a circuit set up to power a connected device. This process is reversed to make the battery rechargeable.
The University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering;Jonathan Cohen / Binghamton University; European Patent Office
“It may look relatively easy to make a battery,” Ramström said. “However, that is definitely not the case. It’s really very, very hard to produce, design and develop well-working and efficient batteries. ”
But Whittingham, Goodenough and Yoshino found a way. In the mid – 1970 s, Whittingham developed a new cathode, using a layered material called titanium disulphide that allowed lithium ions to move freely within it. But the lithium metal anode’s instability caused problems, which could sometimes lead the battery to short-circuit and explode.
Goodenough improved on that design by finding another layered material for the cathode, cobalt oxide, which could replace the titanium disulphide and drive up the battery’s voltage significantly. Meanwhile, Yoshino found a way to replace the pure lithium metal anode with one made of petroleum coke, a carbon matrix. When paired with Goodenough’s new cathode, it created a safe, lightweight and highly efficient battery.
That design is ubiquitous today, powering portable electronics and helping to shift the world’s energy infrastructure in a more sustainable direction, as it allows electricity to be produced from renewable sources, such as the sun and the wind, rather than by burning fossil fuels.
“All three Nobel winners played vital roles in this energy storage revolution, which has now placed power in our pockets.” Coxon said.
“These batteries have helped power the portable revolution and now have a crucial role in electric vehicles to lowering emissions and improving air quality , ”SaidSaiful Islam, a professor of chemistry in the energy materials research group at the University of Bath. “In fact, most people probably saw this Nobel Prize news on a device powered by a lithium-ion battery. In my view, this award is long overdue and it’s great to see that this important area of materials chemistry has been recognized. ”
This article includes contributions from Elena Renken.
This blog post will be updated throughout the day. Check back here for additional details. Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz and James Peebles won this yearNobel Prize in Physics, and William G. Kaelin Jr., Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza shared the
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