2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Li-ion batteries: A milestone but fresh start

Abstract

On October 9, 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough of University of Texas at Austin, M. Stanley Whittingham of the State University of New York at Bingham, and Akira Yoshino of Asahi Corporation of Japan for the development of lithium (Li)-ion batteries. It is a recognition for each practitioner who has contributed to the development of Li-ion batteries: proposing the fundamental working mechanism, creating the prototype in laboratory, and achieving the successful commercialization that the Nobel chemistry prize was awarded to three scientists in the field of Li-ion batteries. Moreover, it is also an encouragement for those who are still engaged in the research and development of Li-ion or next-generation batteries and devote to promoting the processes of a clean and wireless society. There is no doubt that Li-ion batteries have gradually touched every aspect of the society and accompany with us in our daily life. 50 years has passed from the firstly proposed concept to the present commercialization, which is a journey full of twists and turns. The success of Li-ion batteries from concept to commercial products with wide application is highly depended on the cooperation from multi-disciplines, multi-fields and multi-countries. The research and development of Li-ion batteries involves physics, chemistry, materials, energy, mechanics, automation, informatics, electronics, and other fields, in which the basic principle of energy storage in Li-ion batteries relies on the internal electrochemical reactions. The popularization of Li-ion batteries in our daily life requires not only the creation of original innovations from scientists, but also scale-up manufacture from engineers to form a products, the establishment of standards in industry, the design of product according to the demand of end-users, the product marketing, and other aspects, which is a system engineering. Through the continuous communications and inspirations of the researchers in Li-ion batteries, in which Nobel Prize winner, John B. Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino are representative, Li-ion batteries keep on advancing in the ups and downs. Li-ion batteries have revolutionized our daily life significantly towards wireless and clean style, leading to rapidly increasing demands for batteries with higher energy density and safety. However, limited by the working principle, the energy density of Li-ion batteries is approaching to the theoretical value recently and the growth rate of energy density has decreased from 7% to 2% per year. In order to further promote the development of high-energy-density and rechargeable batteries, the new working principles, systems, and methods to achieve the new energy storage devices with higher energy density, safer and faster charge are highly required. The fundamental understanding on the evolution of battery materials at the electronic, atomic, molecular and material level while working is necessary. Moreover, the integral recycling and remanufacturing of Li-ion batteries should also be taken into consideration owing to the limited resources and environmental capacity in the earth, especially when Li-ion batteries become the mainstream of energy storage systems in the future. Under such background, many new battery systems have been proposed, such as Li-sulfur batteries, Li-air batteries, sodium-ion batteries, potassium-ion batteries, magnesium-ion batteries, aluminum-ion batteries, zinc-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries. The emerging but increasing new materials provide new opportunities for the development of battery systems. It is highly expected to propose new-type energy storage devices with unique properties to satisfy the needs of energy storage equipment in the future by introducing sodium, potassium, aluminum, zinc, and other alkaline or alkaline earth metals in battery system. The breakthroughs of next-generation batteries are on the way for a wireless and non-fossil society. Next-generation batteries are in strong pursuit around the world for the breakthrough in key technologies. The emerging battery chemistries with different features can be developed for the various scenarios in practical applications. Batteries render a better life.