Nobel Winner Whittingham Continues Battery Research at Binghamton

Stanley Whittingham has been working on lithium-ion battery research for decades and he's still at it as he works with students to develop new technology at Binghamton University.

Whittingham, who lives in Vestal, was one of three men awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2019 for their work on the batteries that now power so many everyday devices.

The battery technology being developed at Binghamton University could power your iPhone in five years. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The distinguished professor at Binghamton University now presides in a laboratory named in his honor at the school's Innovative Technology Center.

During a recent tour of the lab, Whittingham pointed to a group of SUNY Stony Brook students working in a specialized room with extremely low humidity. They were assembling a prototype lithium-ion battery.

A student working on lithium-ion battery research at Binghamton University. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

In another section of the lab, a student from Turkey was working alone on another aspect of battery development. She said she was pleased to have an opportunity to conduct research at Binghamton University.

Whittingham still marvels at the strides that have been made in refining the lithium-ion battery. He said: "I started in this business 50 years ago. We dreamed of some of these things but never imagined it would go as far as it has gone."

Professor Stanley Whittingham discussing research equipment on February 18, 2022. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The 80-year-old researcher is enthusiastic as he looks forward to the evolving technology, saying there are "a few miracles on the way."

Whittingham said he hopes the next big breakthrough "happens in the Southern Tier."

Professor Stanley Whittingham talks about some of the research taking place on the Binghamton University campus in Vestal, New York...