Scientists John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino secured the 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the development of lithium-ion batteries, an important technology in empowering the world to move away from fossil fuels.
American Goodenough, at 97, becomes the oldest winner of a Nobel prize. He shared the award likewise with Whittingham from Britain and Yoshino of Japan.
"This rechargeable battery laid the foundation of wireless electronics such as mobile phones and laptops," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement on awarding the 9 million Swedish crown ($906,000) prize. "It also makes a fossil-fuel-free world possible, as it is used for everything from powering electric cars to storing energy from renewable sources.
Whittingham developed the first functional lithium battery in the early 1970s. Goodenough doubled the battery's potential in the following decade and Yoshino eliminated pure lithium from the battery, making it much safer to use.
