is a Japanese
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
. He is a
fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of
Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at
Meijo University in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
. He created the first safe, production-viable
lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energ ...
,
which became used widely in
cellular phone
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radi ...
s and
notebook computer
A notebook computer or notebook is, historically, a laptop whose length and width approximate that of letter paper ().
The term ''notebook'' was coined to describe slab-like portable computers that had a letter-paper footprint, such as Epson's ...
s. Yoshino was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...
in 2019 alongside
M. Stanley Whittingham and
John B. Goodenough.
Early life and education
Yoshino was born in
Suita
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 381,238 in 182,636 households, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka City and a p ...
, Japan, on 30 January 1948. He graduated from Kitano High School in Osaka City (1966). He earned a
B.S. in 1970 and an
M.S.
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...
degree in 1972, both in
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
from
Kyoto University
, or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan.
The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...
, and a
Dr.Eng. degree from
Osaka University
The , abbreviated as UOsaka or , is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university in Osaka, Japan. The university traces its roots back to Edo period, Edo-era institutions Tekijuku (1838) and Kaitokudō, Kaitokudo (1724), ...
in 2005.
During his time in elementary school, one of his teachers suggested that he read
The Chemical History of a Candle by
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inducti ...
, and this sparked a multitude of questions for Yoshino regarding chemistry, a subject he had not been interested in prior to reading the book.
During his college years, Yoshino had attended a course taught by Japanese chemist
Kenichi Fukui, the first recipient of East Asian ancestry to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Career
Yoshino spent his entire non-academic career at
Asahi Kasei Corporation.
Immediately after graduating with his master's degree in 1972, Yoshino began working at Asahi Kasei.
He joined the Exploratory Research Team at Asahi Kasei Corporation in the early 1970s to explore new general-purpose materials, initially exploring practical applications for polyacetylene but turned to experimenting with using polyacetylene as an anode material once Japan's electronics industry attempted to create new lightweight and compact rechargeable battery to power their mobile devices.
He began work in the Kawasaki Laboratory in 1982 and was promoted to manager of product development for ion batteries in 1992.
In 1994, he became manager of technical development for the LIB manufacturer A&T Battery Corp.,
a joint venture company of Asahi Kasei and
Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
. Asahi Kasei made him a fellow in 2003 and, in 2005, general manager of his own laboratory.
Since 2017, he has been a professor at
Meijo University and his status at Asahi Kasei has changed to honorary fellow.
Research

In 1981 Yoshino started doing research on rechargeable batteries using
polyacetylene
Polyacetylene (IUPAC name: polyethyne) usually refers to an organic polymer with the repeating unit . The name refers to its conceptual construction from polymerization of acetylene to give a chain with repeating olefin groups. This compound is ...
. Polyacetylene is the electroconductive
polymer
A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...
discovered by
Hideki Shirakawa
is a Japanese chemist, engineer, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba and Zhejiang University. He is best known for his discovery of conductive polymers. He was co-recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Alan ...
, who later (in 2000) would be awarded the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...
for its discovery.
In 1983 Yoshino fabricated a prototype rechargeable battery using
lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO) (discovered in 1979 by Godshall et al. at Stanford University, and
John Goodenough and
Koichi Mizushima at Oxford University) as
cathode
A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device such as a lead-acid battery. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. Conventional curren ...
and polyacetylene as
anode
An anode usually is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, which is usually an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the devic ...
.
This prototype, in which the anode material itself contains no
lithium
Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...
, and lithium ions migrate from the LiCoO cathode into the anode during charging, was the direct precursor to the modern
lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energ ...
(LIB).
Polyacetylene had low real
density
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...
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.
[, Priority Data 10 May 1985, by Espacenet Patent search][, by USPTO PATENT FULL-TEXT AND IMAGE DATABASE]
This was the birth of the current lithium-ion battery.
The LIB in this configuration was commercialized by
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
in 1991 and by A&T Battery in 1992. Yoshino described challenges and history of the invention process in a book chapter from 2014.
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
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...
(DOT) issued a letter stating that the batteries were different from the metallic
lithium battery
Lithium battery may refer to:
* Lithium metal battery, a non-rechargeable battery with lithium as an anode
** Lithium–air battery
** Lithium–iron disulfide battery
** Lithium–sulfur battery
** Nickel–lithium battery
** Rechargeable li ...
.
Recognition
*1998 Chemical Technology Prize from the
Chemical Society of Japan
*1999: Battery Division Technology Award from The
Electrochemical Society
The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership comprises ...
*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
*2011:
Yamazaki-Teiichi Prize from the Foundation for Promotion of Material Science and Technology of Japan
*2011:
C&C Prize from the
NEC
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...
C&C Foundation
*2012:
IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies from the IEEE
[The reason for the award-winning of the IEEE Medal and prize winners](_blank)
John B. Goodenough and Rachid Yazami were awarded jointly.
*2013:
Global Energy Prize
*2014:
Charles Stark Draper Prize
The U.S. National Academy of Engineering annually awards the Draper Prize, which is given for the advancement of engineering and the education of the public about engineering. It is one of three prizes that constitute the "Nobel Prizes of Enginee ...
*2018:
Japan Prize
is awarded to individuals whose original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind. As of 2024, the Japan Prize h ...
*2019:
European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award (formerly European Inventor of the Year Award, renamed in 2010), are presented annually by the European Patent Office, sometimes supported by the respective Presidency of the Council of the European Union and by the Eur ...
*2019:
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...
*2019:

Order of Culture
The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...
*2019, 2020:
Asian Scientist 100
The Asian Scientist 100 is an annually published list of 100 prize-winning Asian researchers, academicians, innovators and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region and a range of scientific disciplines. Recipients "must have received ...
*2023:
VinFuture Prize
References
External links
The father of lithium-ion batteries (Chemistry World, July 2018)* including the Nobel Lecture 8 December 2019 ''Brief History and Future of Lithium-ion Batteries''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshino, Akira
1948 births
Living people
Draper Prize winners
Electrochemists
Japanese chemists
Japanese Nobel laureates
Kyoto University alumni
Nobel laureates in Chemistry
Osaka University alumni
People from Suita
Scientists from Osaka Prefecture
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Recipients of the Order of Culture