Before Li-Ion Batteries, and Thereafter As one of the most prominent technologies in human history, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have significantly reshaped our life since their initial commercialization in early 1990s. Continuous improvements in materials and chemistries of their derivative descendants might dictate our energy future. Unlike many scientific discoveries, LIB was not born at a single “Eureka” moment. Battery is a system consisting of multiple components. For such a system to function, all components must be electrochemically synchronized. The lengthy history of LIB development witnessed such painful synchronization, which proceeded simultaneously with the development of intercalation science as well as its many individual components. This talk aims to recount the history of how accidental discoveries, intentional breakthroughs, and deceiving misconceptions interplayed to generate the unique chemistries and materials for such a sophisticated electrochemical device. |