Lithium-ion technology is bringing us closer to solving energy and transport problems, finds Bruno Scrosati.
When, in 1801, Alessandro Volta unveiled his 'electric pile' gadget to Napoleon Bonaparte, he could not have imagined that, two centuries later, his invention would be central to human life. His primitive electrical cell of zinc and silver electrodes separated by a brine-soaked felt led to the compact electrochemical power source that dominates modern consumer electronics — the lithium battery.