No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Stanley Whittingham developed the first lithium battery in the 1970s. John Goodenough improved it in 1980, Akira Yoshino made a safer version in 1985, and Sony commercialised it in 1991.
About credit
The three shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before the Lithium-Ion Battery
Rechargeable batteries such as lead-acid and nickel-cadmium were heavy or lost capacity.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Goodenough found that lithium cobalt oxide gave higher voltage. Yoshino used a carbon anode, avoiding reactive lithium metal. Sony released the first commercial cell in 1991.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
The Lithium-Ion Battery, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Ions shuttle
When charging, lithium ions move to one electrode; discharging brings them back, releasing electrons through a circuit.
Ions shuttle
Safe materials
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Portable electronics
Phones and laptops became practical.
Transport
Electric cars with long range.
It powers phones, laptops and electric cars, and is central to storing renewable energy.
V
Before and after
Life before and after The Lithium-Ion Battery
Before
Short battery life.
After
Hours of use.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.
VI
Its legacy
What came after
MHI 093
The Lithium-Ion Battery
Beyond the collection
Electric vehicles
Cars and buses.
Beyond the collection
Grid storage
Large batteries support solar and wind.
VII
Human stories
The people and the moments
The oldest laureate
Goodenough, who died in 2023 at 100, was the oldest ever Nobel laureate when he won at 97.
Where accounts differ, this museum follows the documented record and says so.