Lithium-ion Battery

Hello. My name is the Lithium-ion Battery, but you can call me Li-li. Have you ever wondered how your tablet keeps playing cartoons even when it is not plugged into the wall. Or how your favorite toy car zips across the floor all by itself. That is me. I am the little spark of energy hiding inside. Think of me like a tiny, secret lunchbox. But instead of sandwiches, I am packed full of electricity. When you want to watch a video or play a game, I open up my lunchbox and share my energy. This lets your gadgets work anywhere you go, in the car, at the park, or even in your cozy bed. A long, long time ago, everything had to stay close to the wall, tied to a clumsy cord. You could not take your phone outside to take pictures of butterflies. I am so happy I was invented to set electricity free.

I was not just born overnight. It took a team of very clever creators, my parents, to make me. They worked together over many years to make me who I am today. My story started way back in the 1970s with a scientist named M. Stanley Whittingham. He had the very first big idea for me. He thought, 'What if we could make a battery that could be charged up again and again.'. He built the first version of me, but I was a little wild and not quite ready for people's homes. I had a lot of power, but I could be a bit fiery and unpredictable. Then, in 1980, another brilliant man named John B. Goodenough came along. He looked at the first idea and said, 'I can make this little battery stronger and more powerful.'. He gave me a special boost, like feeding me super-veggies, which allowed me to hold much more energy in my tiny body. I felt so much mightier after he helped me. But I still had one more important step. In 1985, a kind inventor from Japan named Akira Yoshino made me safe and reliable. He figured out how to make sure I would not get too hot or cause any trouble. He gave me my final, safe design so I could be trusted to go inside all your favorite toys and gadgets. Thanks to him, I was finally ready to go out into the world and help everyone.

And what a journey it has been. Because of me, you can carry a tiny computer in your pocket, also known as a smartphone. You can call your grandma who lives far away and see her face on the screen. You can take pictures of your silly dog or a beautiful sunset and share them with friends. I power the controllers for your video games and the headphones you use to listen to your favorite songs. But my job is getting even bigger and more important. I am helping to make our world a cleaner place. I am the power inside zippy electric cars that do not puff out smoky clouds from a tailpipe. This helps keep our air fresh and clean for everyone to breathe. And my work is not done. Today, I am learning to store energy from the big, bright sun and the strong, blowing wind. By saving up this clean energy, I can help power our homes and schools. I am a small battery with a very big job, and I am so excited to help power a brighter and happier future for you.