Inventor of the lithium-ion battery Akira Yoshino inspires new collaborations for battery innovation
A reception held November 10 at U of T brought together more than 200 people from academia and industry, as well as partners from the Ontario government and First Nations, to explore how collaborations in battery innovation can bring about a cleaner and more prosperous future.
The event was jointly hosted by U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Asahi Kasei Corporation, a major producer of battery separators, critical components for lithium-ion batteries.
Attendees were treated to a lecture titled The Future Society Made Possible by Lithium-ion Batteries, given by Professor Akira Yoshino, one of three co-recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of that technology. Yoshino is both a fellow of Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya, Japan.
Since their invention in the mid-1980s, lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous, powering everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage facilities.
But as Yoshino explained, renewed innovation could enable this technology to serve even more roles in the future:
“In the coming years, I believe we’ll see meaningful progress in several key areas of battery technology – from advances in recycling that better support circularity, to next-generation materials that enhance battery performance across a broad range of applications,” said Yoshino.
“To accelerate these innovations, we must create resilient supply chains. That means responsibly developing new resources and fostering international cooperation. This includes minimizing uncertainty and attracting long-term investments in R&D and manufacturing capacity to support the clean energy transition.”
After the lecture, Yoshino met with U of T researchers working in areas relevant to battery technology. The attendees included experts in materials science, chemistry and power electronics, many of whom are members of world-leading U of T research hubs such as:
- The Acceleration Consortium, which combines material science with the power of artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced computing to rapidly design and test new materials and molecules;
- The Lawson Climate Institute, which will galvanize and accelerate U of T’s capacity to advance the technologies, policies, and incentives needed to make the global transition to net zero;
- The Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, which promotes research collaborations in these rapidly evolving interdisciplinary fields; and,
The event also included tours of U of T facilities by representatives from Asahi Kasei Corporation and the Japanese ambassador to Canada. Asahi Kasei recently began work on a new manufacturing facility for battery separators in Port Colborne, Ont.
“We were pleased to team with the University of Toronto for this event and hope it sparks a long-term partnership that drives innovation, supports student and workforce development, and strengthens the battery supply chain, both in Ontario and North America,” said Samuel Mills, President of Asahi Kasei Battery Separator North America.
Dozens of U of T Engineering research groups are already pursuing research that builds on Professor Yoshino’s work to advance energy storage solutions. Examples include the following:
- Professor Cristina Amon (MIE) and her team are developing ways to make batteries more resilient to thermal fluctuations;
- Professor Gisele Azimi (ChemE, MSE) and her team are designing more sustainable ways to recover valuable materials from lithium-ion batteries at the end of their productive lives;
- Professor Dwight Seferos (Department of Chemistry) and his team are exploring the potential of organic materials as electrodes and other components in a range of battery technologies; and
- Professor Olivier Trescases (ECE) and his team at the University of Toronto Electric Vehicle (UTEV) Research Centre are working with auto manufacturers on advancing a full suite of EV technologies, including power electronics, automotive semiconductors, battery systems and charging infrastructure.
- Professor Alex Voznyy (Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, UTSC) and his team at the Clean Energy Lab are developing new materials for low-cost and scalable energy conversion.
“It was an honour to join the University of Toronto and Asahi Kasei for Dr. Akira Yoshino’s Distinguished Lecture,” said the Honourable Sam Oosterhoff, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.
“Ontario’s universities offer world-class research, state-of-the-art facilities, and a highly skilled talent pool to help industry tackle real-world challenges. With its expertise in EVs, advanced batteries, and energy more broadly, the University of Toronto is uniquely positioned to support Ontario’s clean energy future – driving innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy for decades to come.”
Front Row: Consul-General Matsunaga Takeshi, Ambassador Kenji Yamanouchi, Dr. Akira Yoshino, Associate Minister Sam Oosterhoff, Joseph Wong, Mark Lautens
Back Row: Shuichiro Ogawa (Asahi Kasei Innovation Strategy), Nobuya Kaneko (Asahi Kasei Battery Separator), Ryu Taniguchi (Asahi Kasei Battery Separator), Samuel Mills (Asahi Kasei Battery Separator), Koichiro Nara (Honda), Dave Jamison (Honda), Councillor Jesse Herkimer (Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation)
By: U of T Engineering Communications