A forum on batteries: from lithium-ion to the next generation.

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three pioneers of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)-Prof. John B. Goodenough at the University of Texas, Prof. M. Stanley Whittingham at the State University of New York and Mr. Akira Yoshino at the Asahi Corporation of Japan, which is a great encouragement to the whole field. LIBs have been developed for several decades with the progress slowing down and their performances approaching some theoretical limits. On the other hand, new types of batteries or power systems, including solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries and fuel cells, are being steadily developed, offering new choices for divergent applications. In this panel discussion chaired by editorial board member Huiming Cheng, battery experts gather to discuss the challenges and trends of LIBs, the developments and applications of next-generation batteries, as well as the status quo of the battery research and industry in China. Jun Chen Professor of the College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, China Yunhui Huang Professor of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China Hong Li Professor of the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Shigang Sun Professor of the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China Hongli Zhang Director of the R&D Institute of Battery, Gotion High-Tech Power Energy Co., Ltd., Hefei, China Huiming Cheng (Chair) Professor of the Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China; Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.