Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to developers of lithium-ion batteries

Three scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of lithium-ion batteries, like those found in everything from your smartphone and laptop to electric cars, not to mention large-scale energy storage projects.

Announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Wednesday, John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino received the prestigious award together.

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The three laureates, the organisation noted, have contributed to building something that's hidden within many devices we use every day. But outside of smartphones, large-scale versions of lithium ion batteries can store significant amounts of renewable energy from wind and solar, meaning a fossil fuel-free society could damn well happen. Tesla completed installing the world's biggest lithium ion battery, a Powerpack system with 100 megawatts of capacity, in South Australia in November 2017.

"Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised our lives and are used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles. Through their work, this year’s Chemistry Laureates have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society," the Nobel Prize tweeted.

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Most lithium-ion batteries today are composed of multiple parts: two solid electrodes, separated by a polymer membrane infused with a liquid or gel electrolyte.

Binghamton University's Whittingham developed the first functional lithium battery in the 1970s. During the oil crisis, he looked into methods of energy production outside fossil fuels, and started to research superconductors. It was in this work he discovered a material rich in energy that he used to create what's known as a cathode (a type of electrode through which electrons move) inside a lithium battery. And at a molecular level, lithium ions were able to be housed within this. The battery had over two volts, but as it was made from metallic lithium, it was "too explosive," the Nobel organisation explained.

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Meanwhile, Goodenough, of the University of Texas, "doubled the lithium battery’s potential" by increasing its powerful properties — and he's been working on this constantly over the years. Goodenough predicted that the aforementioned cathode could use a metal oxide instead of a sulphide to increase the battery's potential — something he proved in 1980.

"He demonstrated that cobalt oxide with intercalated lithium ions can produce as much as four volts," said the Nobel Prize's press statement. "This was an important breakthrough and would lead to much more powerful batteries."

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And Yoshino, of the Asahi Kasei Corporation and Meijo University, managed to get rid of pure lithium from the battery and focused on those ions, making it safer to use. Using Goodenough's cathode, in 1985, Yoshino created the world's first commercially viable lithium ion battery.

The Nobel organisation explained he used a carbon material, petroleum coke, in the anode (the positively charged electrode through which electrons leave a device).

"The result was a lightweight, hardwearing battery that could be charged hundreds of times before its performance deteriorated," said Nobel's statement. "The advantage of lithium-ion batteries is that they are not based upon chemical reactions that break down the electrodes, but upon lithium ions flowing back and forth between the anode and cathode."

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Though lithium-ion batteries are extremely important in smartphones, companies like Samsung are testing other types like graphene batteries to increase device life even further.

The Nobel Prizes continue to be awarded this week, with the Physics prize bestowed on Tuesday. But not everyone's completely happy with the results.