Seminal Literature

1st Commercially Viable Li-ion Battery Using Petroleum Coke as a Stable Anode In 1985, Akira Yoshino at Asahi Kasei Corporation developed the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery, using petroleum coke as the anode. A byproduct of petroleum refining, petroleum coke can reversibly intercalate Li-ions at a low potential of 0.5 V v. Li+/Li without structural degradation. Its amorphous carbon regions act as joints, pinning the layers together to provide structural integrity. While these regions limit capacity, the materialʼs stability and durability made it the first commercially adopted anode, paving the way for reliable, long-lasting rechargeable batteries.

In 2019, Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of lithium-ion batteriesˮ.

Source Yoshino, A. Nat Energy 6, 449 2021, Xie, A retrospective on lithium-ion batteries. Nat Commun 11, 2499 2020; 1 Nobel Prize, 2 Asahi Kasei

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