Two remarkable qualities make lithium batteries stand out among all other comers. These are the reasons why they are still with us, despite the obvious fire-safety risk. The two critical success factors are light weight and the amount of energy they store. Taken together, these are why lithium-ion batteries have cornered the world.
These Qualities Made Lithium-Ion Batteries Convenient
Back in time, batteries for portable devices were bulky and heavy, restricting their use. Sony zoomed in on the new lithium batteries for their Walkman portable audio players. A second revolution was on its way!
But there was another reason why lithium-ion batteries took the world by storm. Walkman owners could recharge their batteries many times, although their playtime gradually decreased with use.
We take the compact, lightweight, long life batteries in our laptops and phones for granted. We might not have these gadgets at all, but for Whittingham, Goodenough, and Yoshino, who all richly deserved their Nobel prize.
How An Energy Crisis Sparked a Battery Revolution
The developed world experienced an oil crisis in the 1970’s, due to conflict affecting middle-east oil-producing countries. Huge amounts of money poured into research, as western governments realized how essential energy is.
Whittingham came up with the idea of a lithium-based battery cell. Goodenough added the cobalt-oxide positive electrode. Yoshino followed through with the negative carbon electrode, and the formula was complete.
Nowadays, of course, there are many varieties of lithium battery cell types. We will investigate some of these in future posts. Perhaps we should remember the pioneers who went before us, who invented the technology we so much take for granted today.
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