Chemistry Nobel Prize awarded to trio for developing Li-ion battery tech for a rechargeable world

Awardees of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2019 were announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm today. The award will be shared jointly by John D Goodenough, M Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for developing lithium-ion batteries. Li-ion batteries are a revolutionary modern technology used in nearly everything — mobile phones, laptops, satellites, even electric vehicles. Through their work, the three Chemistry Laureates this year have “laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil-fuel-free society,” said the Nobel Committee in a statement.

[caption id=“attachment_7473481” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Nobel prize in Chemistry awardees (left to right): John D Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino. Image: Nobel Committee[/caption] On 8 October, three astrophysicists were announced as the 2019 Nobel for Physics awardees for their research into the history of the universe, its structure and exoplanets. While half the prize went to US-Canadian scientist James Peebles for the “theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology”, the other half of the award was jointly awarded to Swiss scientists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for the “discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.” Alongside the glory, the Nobel Prize also includes a 9-million kronor (INR 64.27 million) cash award, a gold medal and a diploma. The laureates receive them at an elegant ceremony on 10 December the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel, its founder.