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The rise and rise of lithium

Nature Chemistry volume 13, pages 107–109 (2021)Cite this article

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We’re in the middle of an energy revolution, argues Bruce C. Gibb, and chemistry is an integral part of it.

For now, however, much of the energy revolution is well-nigh invisible. Sure, you might see wind turbines on your morning commute, but did you know that the renewable share of global electricity production1 now stands at 35%? The fact is that the developing smart-grid, with all of its electricity generation and storage, and all of the tech that controls it, is — in our day-to-day existence — largely beneath the surface. But one facet of the energy revolution is increasingly protruding above the surface and it’s one you might also see on your morning commute: the battery electric vehicle (BEV)2,3. If you have just purchased a new internal combustion engine (ICE) car, you may not appreciate this, but you are now the proud owner of a trimphone… in a world about to be dominated by smartphones. Ironically perhaps, the rise of the BEV and the corresponding fall of the ICE is being brought about by technologies that are respectively 220 and nearly 300 years old: the battery and the electric motor.

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  1. Twitter: @brucecgibb

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Bruce C. Gibb

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  1. Bruce C. Gibb
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Correspondence to Bruce C. Gibb.

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Gibb, B.C. The rise and rise of lithium. Nat. Chem. 13, 107–109 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00638-w

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