Awarded for the invention of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an essential element for mobile electronic devices and various types of electric vehicles, including hybrids Mr. Yoshino is also credited with the concept, development and commercialization of storage battery systems based on his invention.
Honorary Fellow, Asahi Kasei Corp., President, Lithium Ion Battery Technology and Evaluation Center, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2019.
Akira Yoshino is a renowned chemist and an inventor of the re-chargeable lithium-ion batteries. He began his research on rechargeable batteries in 1981 and in 1983 he fabricated a prototype rechargeable battery using lithium cobalt oxide. This helped marked the birth of the lithium-ion battery (LIB).In 1986 Mr. Yoshino commissioned the manufacture of a batch of LIB prototypes.
Lithium-ion batteries have energy density about three times higher than aqueous secondary batteries such as conventional nickel-cadmium and nickel hydrogen secondary batteries on volume and weight bases, leading to the realization of small and light secondary batteries.
The lithium-ion secondary battery technology is one of the basic technologies which broadly support not only the battery industry but is also used as a battery for portable electronics, electric vehicles, and aerospace applications.
Brief Biography:
- In 1970 graduated from the Kyoto University.
- From 1972 to 1992 worked with the Japanese Kawasaki Laboratory, lithium-ion batteries department.
- From 1992 to 2005 was the head of the lithium-ion batteries department in major Japanese corporations, including Asahi Kasei Corp. and A&T Battery Corp.
- In 2005 received Doctor of Engineering degree at the Osaka University (Japan).
- Since 2005 to the present day – General Manager at the Yoshino Laboratory conducting advanced research in the field of lithium-ion batteries.