Lithium-ion Battery

Hello there. You might not see me, but I am probably very close to you right now, humming quietly inside your tablet or the phone in your grown-up’s hand. I am the Lithium-ion Battery, a small but mighty box of portable power. Before I came along, the world was tangled in cords. Imagine trying to play your favorite game, but you couldn't leave the room because your device had to stay plugged into the wall. Imagine wanting to call a friend, but you had to use a phone that was stuck to the kitchen wall with a curly wire. There was no listening to music on the bus or watching a movie in the car. Everything needed a constant connection to an electrical outlet. It was a less free, less mobile world. People dreamed of taking their technology with them, of being untethered. That’s the big problem I was born to solve. My job is to be a tiny, rechargeable treasure chest for electricity. I hold onto energy, keeping it safe and sound, so you can use it whenever and wherever you need it. But creating me wasn't easy. It took a team of brilliant, patient people—like science detectives—who spent years searching for the perfect combination of materials to bring me to life.

My life story really begins in the 1970s with a very smart scientist named M. Stanley Whittingham. He was working for a big energy company and had an idea that was truly revolutionary. He discovered he could use a special, lightweight metal called lithium to store and release energy. This was my very first spark of existence. I was a brand-new idea, an early prototype. But, to be honest, I was a bit of a wild child back then. I was full of potential, but I had a fiery temper. I could get very hot, very quickly, and sometimes I would even burst into flames. I had all this amazing power, but I was just too dangerous and unpredictable for everyday use. I needed someone to help me learn some self-control. That's where John B. Goodenough came in. A decade later, in 1980, he had a breakthrough. Working in his lab, he realized that if he used a different material, a metal oxide, as one of my key parts, I would become much more powerful and stable. It was an incredible discovery. Suddenly, I could hold twice the amount of energy in the same amount of space. I felt stronger, more capable, and so much safer. It was like I had been given a super-suit that helped me control my powers. I was getting closer to being ready, but I wasn't perfect yet. I could be recharged, but I would wear out over time. There was one last challenge to overcome to make me the reliable friend I am today. The final, brilliant piece of my puzzle was put into place in 1985 by a creative scientist in Japan named Akira Yoshino. He was a master of making things work in the real world. He figured out that if he replaced the unstable lithium metal inside me with a safer, carbon-based material, I would become incredibly reliable. This was the magic touch. I could now be charged and discharged hundreds, even thousands, of times without losing my strength or my temper. I was finally safe, strong, and long-lasting. It took this incredible team of three people, working in different countries and in different decades, to make me who I am. Their ideas built upon each other, like a staircase to the future, and together, they made me ready to power up the world.

After all that teamwork and discovery, my big moment finally arrived. It was December 1st, 1991, and I was making my world debut. I was tucked inside a shiny new video camera made by a big company in Japan. I felt a buzz of excitement—and not just the electrical kind. For the very first time, families could record birthday parties and soccer games without being tied down by a clumsy power cord. I had brought them freedom, and it felt amazing. From that first video camera, my family has grown beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Today, you can find me and my relatives everywhere. I am the quiet, dependable heart inside your smartphone that lets you connect with people across the globe. I am the stamina in your laptop that lets you learn and create. I am the silent power in electric cars that glide down our streets, helping to keep the air cleaner for everyone to breathe. I even work in busy hospitals, powering the special tools that doctors use to help people get better. But my work isn't finished. I have a new and very important job now: helping our planet. I am learning to store the clean, beautiful energy that comes from the bright sun and the powerful wind. This means that even when the sun sets or the wind is calm, we can still use that green energy. By being a safe place for clean power, I am helping to build a brighter, healthier future for all children. I may be small enough to fit in your pocket, but my dream is to help power a better world for everyone.