VinFuture Prize Winner Was Not Recognized for Being Ahead of His Time

The work to create lithium-ion batteries has just helped Professor Stanley Whittingham receive the main prize of VinFuture, but at the time of his invention, he was not well received because the product was too new.

Professor Stanley Wittingham (82 years old), Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA, is one of four scientists to receive the VinFuture Grand Prize worth 3 million USD (equivalent to 73 billion VND), with his invention creating a sustainable foundation for green energy through the production of solar cells and storage with Lithium-ion batteries.

Professor Stanley Wittingham invented the working principle of the Lithium-ion battery and established the role of the Lithium ion as an efficient charge carrier. His contributions were crucial to the development of the Lithium-ion battery, which is used in everything from mobile phones and laptops to electric cars.

Before the advent of lithium-ion batteries, the two most common types of batteries in the world were acid and alkaline batteries. The drawback of these batteries is their low energy output. Alkaline and nickel batteries are extremely toxic, to the point that they are no longer used in public spaces today. While acid batteries are less toxic, recycling and reuse are difficult. Lithium-ion batteries have a smaller area but produce 5 times more energy and are 99% recyclable, which is the difference.

However, around 1974, Stanley Wittingham and his research team created the first version of the Lithium-ion battery, which was capable of storing energy. However, "it was not well received, maybe our product was born too early, too ahead of its time", he said, revealing that he had to take a break for 8-10 years because he was not "noticed".

He frankly said that at first this type of battery was mainly used in black boxes and some types of watches. Later, some large manufacturers realized that this technology was necessary. For example, Sony wanted to use this technology to integrate it into their products and came to him, since then this type of battery has become more widely known.

President Vo Van Thuong (left) presents awards to the four winners of the VinFuture 2023 Prize, Professor Stanley Whittingham (middle). Photo: Giang Huy

His contribution was the discovery that holding lithium ions between titanium sulfide plates would generate electricity, thus exploiting the enormous energy of lithium to release the outer layer electrons. Professor Stanley explained that the important thing about battery technology is that it can store energy and charge quickly. This is a feature that everyone wants. The mechanism of this battery technology is simply like a sandwich with layers, in the middle is a lithium compound, when you want to charge, you suck the lithium out to charge, then push it back into those layers.

He pioneered the concept of electrode intercalation. He also focused on improving the structural stability and cycling capacity of batteries, through the application of multi-electron intercalation reactions to enhance their stability and capacity.

From the initial 6-8 core members, the professor's research group gradually expanded to nearly 30 people, including collaborators from physicists and material scientists. However, Mr. Stanley said the research path was not always smooth, there was a time when battery research was no longer a hot topic.

But now, lithium-ion batteries have been applied to everything that needs batteries to operate, from phones, watches or computers to vehicles, vehicles, or larger companies that produce solar and wind energy. "I should have retired 20 years ago, but I didn't expect to be sitting here today, seeing that more and more electric vehicles use batteries, like VinFast with electric cars, electric buses, electric motorbikes," he said.

Stanley Whittingham. Photo: Phuoc Van

Stanley Whittingham shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with John Goodenough (University of Texas) and Akira Yoshino (Meijo University) for his work in developing the first lithium-ion battery. According to the Nobel Foundation, lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized human life since they entered the market in 1991, laying the foundation for a wireless and fossil fuel-free society. The development of lithium-ion batteries also made electric vehicles possible and spurred the development of wireless communications.

He joked that he no longer had enough time to test whether lithium batteries were the “heroes who saved the earth” from environmental problems. But he said he had been interested in sustainability in the battery and environmental fields throughout his scientific career. Batteries need to be produced using less energy, and transporting them thousands of miles from one country to another also uses a lot of energy, so he hoped that regions and countries could produce their own lithium batteries.

Asked about lithium batteries that use rare metals that can run out, Professor Stanley Whittingham said they are aiming to avoid using metals that require child labor to mine. Nickel is still widely used, while phosphate has a low energy density but is cheaper, so they are focusing on promoting it. He also pointed out that if semiconductors were used efficiently, fewer batteries would be needed. "Ten years ago, when we used computers, we often saw them getting hot, but now we rarely see this phenomenon because the semiconductors in computers operate much more efficiently," he said.

Stanley Whittingham is currently a professor at Binghamton University, since joining in 1988. The research group where he works has senior scientists and is also looking for young researchers, he hopes to connect. On his third visit to Vietnam, he gave two pieces of advice to young scientists, including always researching the issues that interest and excite you, don't focus too much on money. Second, you need to be willing to invest in difficult fields, with a risk-taking mentality, don't be too conservative.

Nhu Quynh

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