The Development and Future of Lithium Ion Batteries

TLDR

The lithium‑ion rechargeable battery, introduced by Sony in 1991, evolved from earlier Asahi Kasei work and Sony’s integration of film‑coating and electrochemical technologies, marking a 25‑year milestone for the industry. Over the past 25 years, lithium‑ion batteries have driven rapid sales growth and superior performance, and emerging materials promise continued gains in cost, energy density, safety, and power.

Abstract

This year, the battery industry celebrates the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the lithium ion rechargeable battery by Sony Corporation. The discovery of the system dates back to earlier work by Asahi Kasei in Japan, which used a combination of lower temperature carbons for the negative electrode to prevent solvent degradation and lithium cobalt dioxide modified somewhat from Goodenough's earlier work. The development by Sony was carried out within a few years by bringing together technology in film coating from their magnetic tape division and electrochemical technology from their battery division. The past 25 years has shown rapid growth in the sales and in the benefits of lithium ion in comparison to all the earlier rechargeable battery systems. Recent work on new materials shows that there is a good likelihood that the lithium ion battery will continue to improve in cost, energy, safety and power capability and will be a formidable competitor for some years to come.