Akira Yoshino

Akira Yoshino
Akira Yoshino
Akira Yoshino
Born	30 1, 1948
Birthplace	Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Chemist, engineer, professor
Employer	Asahi Kasei Corporation, Meijo University
Known for	Development of the lithium-ion battery
Education	Kyoto University (B.S., M.S.) Osaka University (D.Eng.)
Awards	Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2019) Japan Prize (2018) Charles Stark Draper Prize (2014)

Akira Yoshino (吉野 彰, Yoshino Akira; born 30 January 1948) is a Japanese chemist and engineer who created the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery, a technology that has reshaped modern life by enabling the proliferation of portable electronics, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage. Born in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Yoshino spent the bulk of his career at the Asahi Kasei Corporation, where he conducted the research that led to a prototype rechargeable battery using a carbonaceous anode and a lithium cobalt oxide cathode — a configuration that proved safe, lightweight, and suitable for mass production. He also holds a professorship at Meijo University in Nagoya. In 2019, Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with John B. Goodenough and M. Stanley Whittingham, "for the development of lithium-ion batteries." The Nobel committee recognized the trio for building on each other's fundamental discoveries to create a rechargeable battery that has become ubiquitous in cellular phones, laptop computers, and electric vehicles. Yoshino's work has been recognized with numerous other distinctions, including the Japan Prize, the Charles Stark Draper Prize, the Global Energy Prize, and the European Patent Office's European Inventor Award.

Early Life

Akira Yoshino was born on 30 January 1948 in Suita, a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He grew up during the period of Japan's rapid postwar economic recovery and industrialization. Yoshino has spoken publicly about the influences that shaped his early interest in science. In interviews, he has described his childhood curiosity about the natural world and recalled a teacher who recommended the book The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday, which sparked his fascination with chemistry. This early exposure to the elegance of chemical processes left a lasting impression and guided his academic and professional trajectory toward the field of electrochemistry.

Growing up in the Kansai region of Japan — home to major research universities and industrial companies — Yoshino was surrounded by an environment that valued both academic achievement and industrial innovation. This regional culture would later influence his career-long commitment to applied research and the translation of laboratory discoveries into commercial products.

Education

Yoshino pursued his undergraduate and graduate studies at Kyoto University, one of Japan's foremost research institutions. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree from Kyoto University's Faculty of Engineering, where he studied chemistry and developed a foundation in organic and inorganic chemical processes. His time at Kyoto University provided him with rigorous training in the fundamentals of chemistry and materials science.

Later in his career, Yoshino obtained a Doctor of Engineering degree from Osaka University, where his doctoral research focused on electrochemistry and battery technology, formalizing much of the scientific basis behind the lithium-ion battery work he had already undertaken at Asahi Kasei. The combination of his Kyoto University training in fundamental chemistry and his Osaka University doctoral work in applied engineering gave Yoshino a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective that proved essential to his breakthrough innovations.

Career

Early Career at Asahi Kasei

After completing his master's degree at Kyoto University, Yoshino joined Asahi Kasei Corporation in 1972, a major Japanese chemical and materials company. Asahi Kasei, though not traditionally a battery manufacturer, was a diversified company with interests in chemicals, fibers, and electronics materials, giving Yoshino access to a broad range of materials science expertise and laboratory resources. In an interview, Yoshino described his position outside the established battery industry as having been an advantage, allowing him to approach the problem of rechargeable batteries without the preconceptions held by conventional battery researchers.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Yoshino worked on various research projects at Asahi Kasei, including work on conductive polymers — specifically polyacetylene, a material that had attracted considerable scientific interest following the discovery by Hideki Shirakawa, Alan MacDiarmid, and Alan Heeger that certain polymers could conduct electricity. Yoshino initially explored polyacetylene as a potential electrode material for rechargeable batteries. Although polyacetylene ultimately proved unsuitable for practical battery applications due to its instability and low density, this research steered Yoshino toward the broader challenge of developing a viable rechargeable battery.

Development of the Lithium-Ion Battery

The lithium-ion battery emerged from a chain of discoveries by three scientists working independently over the course of more than a decade. In the 1970s, M. Stanley Whittingham, then at Exxon, demonstrated that lithium ions could be intercalated into the layered structure of titanium disulfide, establishing the fundamental concept of a rechargeable battery based on lithium-ion migration between electrodes. In 1980, John B. Goodenough at the University of Oxford identified lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) as a cathode material capable of producing significantly higher voltage than Whittingham's titanium disulfide cathode, a crucial advance that made higher-energy batteries theoretically possible.

Yoshino's contribution was to solve the remaining critical problem: finding a suitable anode material that could be paired with Goodenough's lithium cobalt oxide cathode to create a battery that was safe, rechargeable, and suitable for mass production. The use of metallic lithium as an anode was well known but dangerous, as lithium metal is highly reactive and prone to forming dendrites during charging, which could cause short circuits and fires.

Beginning in 1983, Yoshino undertook systematic research to identify an alternative anode material. After abandoning polyacetylene due to its limitations, he turned to carbonaceous materials. By 1985, Yoshino had developed a prototype battery that paired a carbonaceous material — a type of petroleum coke — as the anode with Goodenough's lithium cobalt oxide as the cathode. This was the first lithium-ion battery prototype that contained no metallic lithium, eliminating the most serious safety hazard associated with earlier lithium-based rechargeable battery designs.

Yoshino filed a key Japanese patent for this battery configuration in 1985, and a corresponding United States patent (US 4,668,595) was granted in 1987. The patent described a secondary battery with a carbonaceous anode and a metal oxide cathode, establishing the essential architecture of what would become the modern lithium-ion battery. Yoshino also developed the use of an aluminum foil current collector for the cathode and a separator made from polyethylene, both of which contributed to the battery's safety and manufacturability.

A significant aspect of Yoshino's work was conducting rigorous safety testing. He has recounted in interviews the dramatic moment when he tested the safety of his prototype by striking it with a hammer and an iron bar to simulate worst-case mechanical failure — the battery did not catch fire or explode, demonstrating its fundamental safety advantage over batteries containing metallic lithium. This safety validation was essential for convincing manufacturers and regulators that the technology could be deployed in consumer products.

Commercialization

Following the development of the prototype, Yoshino worked to bring the lithium-ion battery to commercial production. Sony Corporation introduced the first commercial lithium-ion battery in 1991, using the fundamental cell design that Yoshino had pioneered. Asahi Kasei also commercialized the technology through a joint venture. The timing coincided with an explosion in demand for portable electronic devices — cellular phones, camcorders, and later laptop computers — all of which required lightweight, rechargeable power sources with high energy density.

The lithium-ion battery offered several decisive advantages over the nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries that had previously dominated the rechargeable battery market: higher energy density, lighter weight, no memory effect (the gradual loss of maximum capacity that plagued nickel-cadmium batteries), and the absence of toxic cadmium. These characteristics made the lithium-ion battery the technology of choice for the emerging mobile electronics industry.

Yoshino remained at Asahi Kasei throughout this period, continuing to refine and improve lithium-ion battery technology. He rose through the company's research hierarchy and eventually became a fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation, the company's highest research distinction. He also took on a professorial role at Meijo University in Nagoya, where he has been involved in research and the mentoring of younger scientists.

Later Career and Advocacy

In the years following the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries, Yoshino became an increasingly prominent voice on matters of energy policy, sustainability, and innovation. As lithium-ion batteries found application not only in portable electronics but also in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems, Yoshino spoke frequently about the role of battery technology in addressing climate change and enabling a transition to renewable energy sources.

In November 2025, Yoshino visited the University of Toronto, where he participated in a partnership event attended by more than 200 people. The event, hosted by U of T's engineering faculty, focused on new collaborations for battery innovation and featured Yoshino in his capacity as Honorary Fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation. The event highlighted the ongoing importance of international collaboration in advancing next-generation battery technologies.

Yoshino has also spoken about the qualities of effective leadership in science and industry. In a 2025 feature in Chemistry World, he discussed the importance of inspiring hope even during difficult times, emphasizing that finding positive directions forward is a vital part of scientific leadership.

In interviews with Chemical & Engineering News, Yoshino reflected on his career and the development of the lithium-ion battery, discussing the role of serendipity, persistence, and the importance of working outside established paradigms in achieving technological breakthroughs.

Personal Life

Akira Yoshino resides in Japan and has maintained a relatively private personal life throughout his career. He has spoken in public forums about his early inspiration from Michael Faraday's writings and his lifelong commitment to research as a vocation. In his public appearances and interviews, Yoshino is known for his modest demeanor and his emphasis on the collaborative nature of scientific progress, frequently acknowledging the contributions of Goodenough and Whittingham to the development of the lithium-ion battery.

Yoshino continues to be active professionally, holding his honorary fellowship at Asahi Kasei and his position at Meijo University. He has traveled internationally to speak at scientific conferences, award ceremonies, and events promoting energy innovation, including the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Recognition

Akira Yoshino has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to battery technology and electrochemistry.

In 2013, Yoshino received the Global Energy Prize, an international award presented by Russia for outstanding achievements in energy research and technology. The award recognized his foundational work on lithium-ion batteries.

In 2014, Yoshino was awarded the Charles Stark Draper Prize by the National Academy of Engineering, alongside Goodenough, Whittingham, and Yoshio Nishi. The Draper Prize is considered the engineering profession's highest honor, and the award citation recognized the four recipients for their collective contributions to the development of the lithium-ion battery.

Yoshino received the IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies, which recognizes contributions to technologies that improve the environment and public safety.

In 2018, Yoshino was awarded the Japan Prize for his research on lithium-ion batteries. The Japan Prize is one of Japan's most prestigious scientific awards, recognizing original and outstanding achievements in science and technology that advance the frontiers of knowledge and serve the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind.

In 2019, Yoshino was named a finalist for the European Patent Office's European Inventor Award in the Non-EPO countries category, recognizing the significance of his patent portfolio in the development of lithium-ion battery technology.

The crowning recognition came on 9 October 2019, when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Yoshino, along with John B. Goodenough and M. Stanley Whittingham, had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of lithium-ion batteries." At the time of the award, Goodenough, at 97 years of age, became the oldest Nobel laureate in any category. The Nobel committee noted that the lithium-ion battery had "laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society" and had been of "the greatest benefit to humankind."

Yoshino also received the C&C Prize from the Foundation for C&C Promotion in 2011, recognizing contributions to the integration of computers and communications technologies. He was additionally recognized with the Ichimura Prize in Industry for Distinguished Achievement, and the Materials Science and Technology Prize from the Foundation for the Promotion of Materials Science and Technology of Japan.

Legacy

The lithium-ion battery, as conceived and prototyped by Akira Yoshino, has become one of the most consequential technological innovations of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Since its commercialization in 1991, the lithium-ion battery has enabled the development of an entire ecosystem of portable electronic devices — from smartphones and tablets to laptop computers and wearable technology — that have transformed communication, commerce, and daily life around the world.

Beyond consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries have become central to the global effort to decarbonize transportation and energy systems. The technology underpins the electric vehicle industry, with major automobile manufacturers relying on lithium-ion battery packs to power their vehicles. Grid-scale lithium-ion battery installations are increasingly used to store energy generated by intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar power, addressing one of the fundamental challenges of the transition away from fossil fuels.

The Nobel committee's citation for the 2019 Chemistry prize explicitly linked the lithium-ion battery to the prospect of a society less dependent on fossil fuels, noting that the technology had created the conditions for a "wireless, fossil fuel-free society." This framing positioned Yoshino's invention not merely as a consumer convenience but as a technology with profound implications for addressing climate change.

Yoshino's approach to innovation — working outside the established battery industry, drawing on insights from polymer chemistry, and emphasizing the importance of safety in design — has been cited as a model for interdisciplinary and application-oriented research. His career demonstrates the potential for fundamental discoveries in one field (Goodenough's cathode materials) to be translated into practical, world-changing technologies by researchers (such as Yoshino) with different training and perspectives.

As of the mid-2020s, Yoshino continues to engage with the scientific community and industry, promoting next-generation battery research and international collaboration in energy technology. His work remains foundational to ongoing efforts to develop batteries with greater energy density, longer life, improved safety, and lower environmental impact.