John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating the lithium-ion battery that revolutionized fashionable life, has died on the age of 100, the University of Texas introduced.
Goodenough died on Sunday, mentioned the college, the place he labored as an engineering professor.
The US scientist’s contributions to the event of lithium-ion batteries paved the best way for smartphones and a fossil fuel-free society.
“John’s legacy as a brilliant scientist is immeasurable — his discoveries improved the lives of billions of people around the world,” Jay Hartzell, president of the University of Texas at Austin, mentioned within the assertion.
“He was a leader at the cutting edge of scientific research throughout the many decades of his career.”
In 1986, on the age of 64, Goodenough joined the University of Texas the place he served as a school member within the Cockrell School of Engineering for 37 years.
“The world has lost an incredible mind and generous spirit. He will be truly missed among the scientific and engineering community, but he leaves a lasting legacy that will inspire generations of future innovators and researchers,” mentioned Sharon Wood, provost of the University of Texas.
Goodenough grew to become the oldest individual to win a Nobel Prize when on the age of 97 he shared the 2019 chemistry award with Britain’s Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino of Japan for the invention of the lithium-ion battery.
Seeking an alternate supply of energy throughout the oil disaster of the Seventies, Whittingham found a option to harness the potential power in lithium, a steel so gentle it floats on water.
However, the battery he constructed was too unstable for use.
Goodenough constructed on Whittingham’s prototype, substituting a special steel compound and doubling the potential power of the battery to 4 volts.
This paved the best way for a lot extra highly effective and sturdy batteries sooner or later.
In 1985, Yoshino as an alternative used a carbon-based materials that shops lithium ions, lastly rendering the battery commercially viable.
The end result of the trio’s analysis resulted in essentially the most highly effective, light-weight and rechargeable battery ever seen.
‘A RECHARGEABLE WORLD’
“They created a rechargeable world,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the accolade, mentioned on the time.
“Lithium batteries have revolutionized our lives since they first entered the market in 1991,” and have been “of the greatest benefit to humankind”.
Their work significantly boosted human mobility, and allowed thousands and thousands in creating international locations to entry info and companies on-line with only a cell phone.
Lithium-ion batteries have additionally diminished the reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels, particularly in electrical vehicles.
On receiving news of his Nobel, Goodenough expressed delight within the worldwide impression of his work.
“I’m extremely happy that my discovery has been able to help communication through the world,” he mentioned.
“We need to build relationships, not wars. I am happy if people use this for good, not evil.”
Born in 1922 in Germany, Goodenough grew up within the United States and earned a bachelor’s diploma in arithmetic from Yale University.
After serving as a meteorologist within the US Army throughout World War II, Goodenough earned a grasp’s diploma and a PhD in physics on the University of Chicago in 1952, in response to the University of Texas assertion.
From 1952, he labored on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory for twenty-four years and laid the groundwork for the event of pc random-access reminiscence (RAM).
Goodenough was head of the inorganic chemistry laboratory at Oxford University when he made his lithium-ion battery discovery.
In 1986, he joined the University of Texas the place he was recognized for his “quick wit and infectious laugh.”
He was nonetheless coming into work effectively into his 90s, the college mentioned.
Goodenough and his spouse Irene have been married for 70 years, till her loss of life in 2016.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
