African Inventor of the Month: Dr Rachid Yazami

Professor Rachid Yazami is a French-Moroccan scientist best known for his research in lithium ion and fluoride ion batteries. He invented the graphite anode of lithium batteries. A lot of his breakthroughs have helped develop safer batteries for smartphones, laptops and other devices.

Giant Steps

Professor Rachid Yazami received his PhD from the Grenoble Institute of Technology in France for his thesis on graphite intercalation compounds for lithium batteries. He later rose to become director at Grenoble’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).

Between 1979 and 1980, Prof. Yazami invented what would become the first shoots of a $20 billion industry. His invention, the graphite anode, is the negative pole on lithium ion batteries. From electric vehicles to laptops and smartphones, Prof Yazami’s brilliant technology has provided better and safer ways of powering our devices.

Father of Patents

Professor Rachid Yazami’s research led to numerous patents, and in 2007, he co-founded CFX Battery Inc. (now Contour Energy Systems) with Nobel laureate, Robert Grubbs, in California to commercialize his findings. It is believed Professor Yazami has over 70 patents related to battery technology, many of which revolve around nano-Si-based and nano-Ge-based batteries. Because silicon has a larger density compared to graphite, these technologies mean batteries can hold more energy and also have a longer shelf life. Another of his patents involves the lithium-fluoride battery used for space and medical applications.

Prof. Yazami founded Kvi Pte Ltd in Singapore in the year 2011. The goal of the startup was to develop commercially viable tools to investigate whether or not batteries are safe to use. Through this startup, Professor Yazami demonstrated how to regenerate a battery cell even after aging has set in.

And, for more practical, everyday purposes, the professor developed a chip the size of a finger nail that could allow you to charge your smartphone within 10 minutes. A normal battery smartphone battery receives only trickles of electricity at a time to avoid instant overheating; this prolongs the charging time. With Prof. Yazami’s new invention, every smartphone battery will have the chip attached to it to make it charge faster. With a corresponding chip inside the charger, the in-built algorithms measure a battery’s health so the charge is regulated to an optimal level. This technology could help prevent fires from overheating. His invention has drawn the interest of Sony and Samsung.

Research

In Singapore where he had been a visiting professor since 2010 at the Nanyang Technology University, the French-Moroccan scientist was elevated to the Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor in Energy at the institute’s School of Materials Science and Engineering in 2012. He is currently the Director of Battery Programs at ERIAN, the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technology University.

The Moroccan-born scientist has coauthored over 200 research papers on batteries and their applications in the modern world.

Awards

Prof. Rachid Yazami’s efforts have made Africa proud. His research findings and inventions have earned him numerous awards around the globe. He received, along side three others, the Draper Prize in 2014, from the National Academy of Engineering. In March that same year, he was awarded the Royal Medal of Intellectual Competency from HM the King of Morocco, Mohammed IV.

In France where he continues to pursue research in battery technology, Prof. Yazami received the Chavelier de la Legion of Honour in 2016. He was also a finalist at Marius Lavet Prize of Inventing-Engineers in Paris, France. The African inventor has been recognized for his excellence by NASA, NATO, and also received the Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE in 2012.

Professor Rachid Yazami’s influence can’t be over-emphasised. His latest invention will help recharge old smartphone batteries years after they have flagged. But not only that, the Professor thinks it might be a game-changer in the electric vehicle market.