Akira Yoshino who is a honorary fellow at Asahi Kasei has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences(RSAS) also announced that two other American researchers have won the same Nobel Prize on October 9 in Stockholm.
Yoshino and two other researchers contributed for the development of lithium-ion batteries. The RSAS said lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable and reusable batteries widely used in mobile phones and laptop computers and they have revolutionized our lives.
The lithium-ion batteries have been commercialized by Sony and Asahi Kasei since 1991.
The voltage of a lithium-ion battery is about 4 volts, some 2.7 times that of an alkaline battery. Therefore, such batteries can be used for various devices such as laptops and smartphones. The invention caused the mobile communications revolution.
The batteries are also used in electric cars and solar power facilities. So, I hope it will help to solve problems related to climate change.
