World’s oldest Nobel prize winner John Goodenough passes away at the age of 100

John Goodenough, the world’s oldest Nobel Prize winner and a prominent figure in the development of lithium-ion batteries, passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday.

Jay Hartzell, President of the University of Texas at Austin, where Goodenough worked for 37 years, praised him as a leader in scientific research throughout his career.

Goodenough played a vital role in the advancement of lithium-ion batteries, which are now used to power millions of electric vehicles worldwide.

In 2019, Goodenough, along with Stanley Whittingham from Britain and Akira Yoshino from Japan, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research on lithium-ion batteries. Goodenough became the oldest recipient of a Nobel Prize at the age of 97.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized the significance of the rechargeable battery developed by Goodenough, stating that it laid the foundation for wireless electronics and contributed to the realization of a fossil fuel-free world by enabling the use of renewable energy and powering electric cars.

In recent years, Goodenough and his team at the University of Texas focused on exploring new directions for energy storage. They worked on developing a “glass” battery with solid-state electrolytes and lithium or sodium metal electrodes.

Goodenough was also recognized for his pioneering work on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes, which serve as an alternative to nickel- and cobalt-based cathodes. LFP is gaining popularity in electric vehicle batteries due to its lower cost, greater abundance of materials, and sustainability compared to nickel cobalt manganese.

Born in Germany on July 25, 1922, to American parents, Goodenough obtained his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Yale University. He then pursued a master’s and a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago. He worked as a researcher and team leader at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before heading the inorganic chemistry lab at the University of Oxford.

John Goodenough leaves behind a remarkable legacy in the field of battery technology and his contributions continue to shape the future of energy storage and sustainable transportation.