On October 9, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry would be awarded to scientists John gudinaf, Stanley Whittingham from the United States and Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino in recognition of their contributions in the field of lithium-ion battery research and development. The picture shows Akira Yoshino attending a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on October 9. (Xinhua News Agency / AFP)

According to the economic reference network, lithium battery production was once Japan's strength, but now the rise of Chinese and Korean enterprises has attracted world attention. In response, Nihon Keizai Shimbun published an interview with Akira Yoshino, a Japanese scientist who just won the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry, on October 10. The chemist who created the "rechargeable world" talked about his views.

Akira Yoshino is the developer of lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones and electric vehicles and an honorary researcher of Asahi Kasei company in Japan. Before this Nobel Prize in chemistry, he also won numerous awards, known as "the man who redefined the future".

According to the report, Japan once led the world in the field of lithium battery research and production, with a high share. But now there is a view that Japan's scientific and technological strength and innovation ability are declining. In this regard, Akira Yoshino pointed out that Japanese university research has reached an inflection point. Research on enterprises has also become different from before. With regard to basic research, "it's good if one in 10 succeeds", and the budget has been reduced. Yoshino believes that to solve the current situation, we need to be based on our curiosity, do not pay attention to where it can be used, try our best to find new things, and do really useful research at the same time. "These two kinds of research actively as two wheels constantly rotate is the ideal state."

After winning the award, Akira Yoshino said in an interview that the downstream of Japan's industry "(close to consumers) is very weak". However, the battery itself is not downstream, but equivalent to midstream. Not only the battery industry, but also the whole industry of the world is changing, and the midstream is disappearing. The direct connection between downstream and upstream becomes a successful model. There is no way to keep losing vitality in the middle reaches. "Downstream is the world of GAFA (Google and apple in the United States, etc.), so the environment is dangerous, but (Japan, too) must take active action."

When talking about the lithium-ion battery market, China and South Korea are rising, and how Japan should respond, Yoshino said: "from the perspective of lithium-ion batteries themselves, it is true. In terms of mobile phones and personal computers, Japan used to have a lot of advantages. It is reasonable to make the required batteries in Japan. Now mobile phones and personal computers have turned overseas. Even if Japanese enterprises still exist, they are also produced in China. It is strange to deliberately make batteries in Japan, and there is no way."

He believes that Japan's businesses such as isolation layer, positive electrode and negative electrode for lithium-ion batteries are still performing strongly. "Although it is ideal to control the downstream (close to consumers), it is also an idea as long as you can control the core technology."

Article source:Battery net