Akira Yoshino
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese chemist
. Fellow, Asahi Kasei
Corporation Inventor of lithium-ion battery (LIB) used for cellular phone and notebook computer etc.
/ Kyoto
, Japan B.S. in Engineering
1972: Kyoto University / Kyoto, Japan M.S. in Engineering
2005: Osaka University
/ Osaka
, Japan Doctorate
in Engineering
Corp. / development of lithium-ion battery etc.
1992: Manager, Product Development Group, Ion Battery Business Promotion Dept., Asahi Kasei Corp.
1994: Manager, Technical Development, A&T Battery Corp. (LIB manufacturer. Joint venture company of Asahi Kasei
and Toshiba
))
2003–present: Fellow, Asahi Kasei Corp. / researching next-generation themes
2005–present: General Manager, Yoshino Laboratory, Asahi Kasei Corp. / advanced battery research
1999: Battery Division Technology Award from The Electrochemical Society
2001: Ichimura Prizes in Industry—Meritorious Achievement Prize
2003: Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology—Prize for Science and Technology, Development Category
2004: Medal with Purple Ribbon, from the Government of Japan
. Polyacetylene is the electroconductive polymer
discovered by Hideki Shirakawa
, who later (in 2000) would be awarded the Nobel Prize
in Chemistry
for its discovery.
In 1983 Yoshino fabricated a prototype rechargeable battery using lithium cobalt oxide
(LiCoO) (discovered by John Goodenough in 1979) as cathode
and polyacetylene as anode
. This prototype, in which the anode material itself contains no lithium
, and lithium ions migrate from the LiCoO cathode into the anode during charging, was the direct precursor to the modern lithium-ion battery (LIB).
Polyacetylene had low real density
which meant high capacity required large battery volume, and also had problems with instability, so Yoshino switched to carbonaceous material as anode and in 1985 fabricated the first prototype of the LIB and received the basic patent.,
This was the birth of the current lithium-ion battery.
The LIB in this configuration was commercialized by Sony
in 1991 and by A&T Battery (joint venture company of Asahi Kasei
and Toshiba
) in 1992.
Yoshino discovered that carbonaceous material with a certain crystalline structure was suitable as anode material, and this is the anode material that was used in the first generation of commercial LIBs. Yoshino developed the aluminum foil current collector which formed a passivation layer to enable high cell voltage at low cost, and developed the functional separator membrane and the use of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device for additional safety.
The LIB’s coil-wound structure was conceived by Yoshino to provide large electrode surface area and enable high current discharge despite the low conductivity of the organic electrolyte.
In 1986 Yoshino commissioned the manufacture of a batch of LIB prototypes. Based on safety test data from those prototypes, the United States Department of Transportation
(DOT) issued a letter stating that the batteries were different from the metallic lithium battery
.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
. Fellow, Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei
is a Japanese company. The main products are chemicals and materials science. The company has around 25,000 employees and had consolidated sales of ¥ 1.7 trillion in 2008. It was founded in May 1931, using the paid in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki based producer of...
Corporation Inventor of lithium-ion battery (LIB) used for cellular phone and notebook computer etc.
Education
1970: Kyoto UniversityKyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
/ Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan B.S. in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
1972: Kyoto University / Kyoto, Japan M.S. in Engineering
2005: Osaka University
Osaka University
, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...
/ Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Engineering
Career
1972: Kawasaki Laboratory, Asahi KaseiAsahi Kasei
is a Japanese company. The main products are chemicals and materials science. The company has around 25,000 employees and had consolidated sales of ¥ 1.7 trillion in 2008. It was founded in May 1931, using the paid in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki based producer of...
Corp. / development of lithium-ion battery etc.
1992: Manager, Product Development Group, Ion Battery Business Promotion Dept., Asahi Kasei Corp.
1994: Manager, Technical Development, A&T Battery Corp. (LIB manufacturer. Joint venture company of Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei
is a Japanese company. The main products are chemicals and materials science. The company has around 25,000 employees and had consolidated sales of ¥ 1.7 trillion in 2008. It was founded in May 1931, using the paid in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki based producer of...
and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
))
2003–present: Fellow, Asahi Kasei Corp. / researching next-generation themes
2005–present: General Manager, Yoshino Laboratory, Asahi Kasei Corp. / advanced battery research
Awards
1999: Fiscal 1998 Chemical Technology Prize from the Chemical Society of Japan1999: Battery Division Technology Award from The Electrochemical Society
2001: Ichimura Prizes in Industry—Meritorious Achievement Prize
2003: Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology—Prize for Science and Technology, Development Category
2004: Medal with Purple Ribbon, from the Government of Japan
Invention of lithium-ion secondary battery
In 1981 Akira Yoshino began research on rechargeable batteries using polyacetylenePolyacetylene
Polyacetylene is an organic polymer with the repeat unit n. The high electrical conductivity discovered for these polymers beginning in the 1960's accelerated interest in the use of organic compounds in microelectronics...
. Polyacetylene is the electroconductive polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
discovered by Hideki Shirakawa
Hideki Shirakawa
Hideki Shirakawa is a Japanese chemist and winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of conductive polymers together with physics professor Alan J. Heeger and chemistry professor Alan G...
, who later (in 2000) would be awarded the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
for its discovery.
In 1983 Yoshino fabricated a prototype rechargeable battery using lithium cobalt oxide
Lithium cobalt oxide
Lithium cobalt oxide is a chemical compound commonly used in the positive electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. The structure of LiCoO2 is known theoretically and has been confirmed with techniques like x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, neutron powder diffraction, and EXAFS: it consists of...
(LiCoO) (discovered by John Goodenough in 1979) as cathode
Cathode
A cathode is an electrode through which electric current flows out of a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: CCD .Cathode polarity is not always negative...
and polyacetylene as anode
Anode
An anode is an electrode through which electric current flows into a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: ACID ....
. This prototype, in which the anode material itself contains no lithium
Lithium
Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
, and lithium ions migrate from the LiCoO cathode into the anode during charging, was the direct precursor to the modern lithium-ion battery (LIB).
Polyacetylene had low real density
Density
The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...
which meant high capacity required large battery volume, and also had problems with instability, so Yoshino switched to carbonaceous material as anode and in 1985 fabricated the first prototype of the LIB and received the basic patent.,
This was the birth of the current lithium-ion battery.
The LIB in this configuration was commercialized by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
in 1991 and by A&T Battery (joint venture company of Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei
is a Japanese company. The main products are chemicals and materials science. The company has around 25,000 employees and had consolidated sales of ¥ 1.7 trillion in 2008. It was founded in May 1931, using the paid in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki based producer of...
and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
) in 1992.
Yoshino discovered that carbonaceous material with a certain crystalline structure was suitable as anode material, and this is the anode material that was used in the first generation of commercial LIBs. Yoshino developed the aluminum foil current collector which formed a passivation layer to enable high cell voltage at low cost, and developed the functional separator membrane and the use of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device for additional safety.
The LIB’s coil-wound structure was conceived by Yoshino to provide large electrode surface area and enable high current discharge despite the low conductivity of the organic electrolyte.
In 1986 Yoshino commissioned the manufacture of a batch of LIB prototypes. Based on safety test data from those prototypes, the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
(DOT) issued a letter stating that the batteries were different from the metallic lithium battery
Lithium battery
Lithium batteries are disposable batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. Depending on the design and chemical compounds used, lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V, over twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc–carbon battery or alkaline battery...
.