Who invented the lithium battery: history and 2019 Nobel Prize

Without the lithium battery, modern phones, EVs and the LiFePO4 solar batteries powering off-grid homes wouldn't exist. Three chemists made it possible and received the Nobel in their 70s-90s.

1970s: M. Stanley Whittingham and the first idea

Brit working at ExxonMobil during the oil crisis. Designs the first lithium-based rechargeable: titanium sulfide cathode (TiS2), lithium metal anode. 2 V. But metallic lithium catches fire. Too dangerous to commercialize.

1980: John Goodenough cracks the cathode

American physicist at Oxford. Replaces sulfide with cobalt oxide (LiCoO2). Voltage rises to 4 V. Double energy density. Still uses metallic lithium → fire risk.

1985: Akira Yoshino finds the safe anode

Japanese chemist at Asahi Kasei. Replaces metallic lithium with carbon (graphite). Lithium ions move in and out of graphite without reacting. The MODERN lithium-ion battery is born: safe, rechargeable, commercializable.

1991: Sony launches the first commercial

Sony combines the three inventions and ships the first commercial Li-ion battery for a camcorder. Energy density 2× nickel-cadmium. Within 5 years it's in every phone.

1996: LiFePO4 emerges

Goodenough keeps researching at 74. Discovers lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). Lower density but MUCH more thermally stable. Doesn't catch fire. Ideal for stationary storage and heavy vehicles.

2019: the Nobel

Nobel Prize in Chemistry shared by Whittingham (78), Goodenough (97, oldest laureate ever) and Yoshino (71). Belated recognition for a tech that changed the world.

Next step: solid-state

Current research on solid (not liquid) electrolyte batteries. Higher energy density, no leak risk, better temperature behavior. Toyota, Samsung and QuantumScape racing. Commercial production: ~2027-2030.

To understand current batteries read LiFePO4 vs lead-acid.