Summary of Key Points
Academician Chen Liquan, the 86-year-old "Father of Lithium Batteries in China," has been awarded the country's highest science and technology award for 2025. Over half a century, he has transformed lithium batteries from a laboratory product into a national strategic pillar industry. Inspired by a button battery in Germany, he led China to become a global leader in the field of lithium batteries. His research has always focused on what the country needs: from addressing energy security issues with "Electric China" to creating a dual backup system with lithium and sodium to seize the opportunities in energy storage for the AI era.
Detailed Analysis
1. From a Button Battery to a Global Leader in Lithium Batteries: How Did China Achieve a "Leapfrogging" Development?
In 1976, Chen Liquan saw a lightweight button lithium-nitride battery in Germany. Compared to the bulky lead-acid batteries of the time, he realized it could be a lifesaver for China, which lacked oil and gas resources. Back in China, he established the country's first solid-state ionics laboratory in an old chicken coop and developed China's first solid-state lithium battery in 1988, marking a significant breakthrough from zero to one.
Japan commercialized liquid lithium batteries first, so Chen Liquan shifted his focus to that technology and built China's first pilot production line in 1998. By 2014, China's lithium battery production surpassed that of Japan and South Korea, making it the global leader. The key to this success, he says, lies in two factors: national support (funding and direction) and collaboration between industry, academia, and research institutions (such as the cooperation between CATL and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which turned laboratory technology into market-ready products). Today, China's lithium battery industry and the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles are both the largest in the world, a result of the combination of national needs and practical research applications.
2. From "Electric Vehicles" to "Electric China": A Revolution in Transportation and Energy
Chen Liquan's initial goal was to develop electric vehicles to replace imported oil (proposed in 2004), but his vision is even broader: "Electric China." This means not only electric cars but also trains, ships, and airplanes (e.g., electric ships and electric aircraft), all integrated with smart technologies and low-carbon energy sources.
The reason for this expansion is the importance of energy security. China relies on imported oil for over 70% of its energy needs. If all transportation modes were powered by electricity, it would reduce dependence on foreign oil. Moreover, the combination of electrification, intelligence, and low carbon would make the energy system more efficient and cleaner. For example, electric trains could use green energy (wind and solar power), which is environmentally friendly and not affected by rising oil prices or supply disruptions—this is the vision of a strategic scientist.
3. Lithium Is Not Enough? Use Sodium: Creating a "Lithium-Naium Dual Backup" to Mitigate Resource Risks
Although China leads in lithium batteries, there are two concerns: a high dependence on foreign lithium resources (similar to oil) and the energy density of liquid lithium batteries, which is nearing its limit, and they are prone to fires. Chen Liquan's approach is to develop two parallel paths:
- Focus on solid-state batteries (the next generation of core technology) to solve safety and range issues (no fires, longer range), which could be used in new energy vehicles and aerospace.
- Develop sodium batteries, as sodium is abundant in China (e.g., in table salt) and does not require imports. Sodium batteries are suitable for large-scale energy storage (e.g., in solar power plants and communication backup) and are expected to be cheaper than lithium batteries, making them more accessible. This complementary approach ensures that China is not vulnerable to resource shortages.
4. AI Requires Electricity: Energy Storage Must Keep Up
AI is becoming increasingly popular, but it consumes a lot of power. For instance, models like ChatGPT consume significant amounts of energy during operations. If there is insufficient power, AI cannot be widely adopted. This is also why there is a trend of moving data processing to areas with abundant renewable energy (the "East Data, West Computing" strategy). However, energy is not always available; therefore, energy storage (lithium or sodium batteries) must be developed. The energy storage industry will experience significant growth with the AI revolution, opening up new opportunities for the battery sector.
Conclusion
Academician Chen Liquan's story is a perfect example of how national needs drive research, research drives industry growth, and industry in turn benefits the country. He has dedicated his life to proving that scientific research should focus on what the country truly needs, not on isolated efforts. His work has transformed China's energy landscape.