The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino for their research in improving battery technology, CNN reports.

The trio will share the prize for their work on "the development of lithium ion batteries," according to the Nobel committee.

"Lithium ion batteries have revolutionized our lives and are used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles," tweeted the committee.

"Through their work, this year's Chemistry Laureates have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society," it added.

Whittingham developed the first functional lithium battery in the early 1970s, and Goodenough then doubled the battery's potential.

Yoshino later eliminated pure lithium from the battery, developing one based entirely on lithium ions. This is safer than pure lithium and made the battery workable for real-world applications.