News announcer: A British scientist has been named as one of the winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Professor Stanley Whittingham developed the first lithium ion rechargeable battery in the 1970's. His fellow winners, Professor John Goodenough, an American who worked at Oxford University, and Professor Akira Yoshino from Japan, improved the technology to make it commercially viable. Now their batteries power the portable electronic devices relied on by billions of people every day. Here's our science correspondent, Pallab Ghosh.
Pallab Ghosh: The rechargeable batteries that power our phones and computers have their origins in the 1970s, when oil prices rose sharply and nations invested in finding alternative energy sources. Professor Whittingham was the first to harness the potential of lithium, while working for the US oil company, Exon. Professor Goodenough made the technology more efficient, and Professor Yoshino made it safe to use. Their batteries are now ubiquitous since they became commercially available in 1991.
With further research their capacity should increase, enabling them to store surplus power produced by renewable energy resources, such as solar wind and wave power technologies. Professor Goodenough, who did much of his research at Oxford University, was asked why he thought it had taken the Nobel committee so long to recognize his achievement.
Professor Goodenough: “I haven't the slightest idea. <Laughs> Um, all I can say is, I didn't ever laugh before, or look forward to this particular day, but I'm very happy that it's arrived. It's-It's very nice to receive a recognition. Yes.”
Pallab Ghosh: Professor Goodenough is ninety seven, the oldest person to have received the Nobel prize. He's still active in his research, as are his fellow winners, who are in their seventies, indicating perhaps, that the three battery scientists seem to be as durable and rechargeable as the technology they developed.
