Dr. John B. Goodenough's development of batteries making possible laptops and cell phones ranks among the world’s 10 most significant materials advances in the past 50 years, according to Materials Today magazine.
The international magazine for researchers in materials ranked The University of Texas at Austin electrical and mechanical engineering professor's work seventh among the profession's 10 defining discoveries in materials. It characterized Goodenough’s work as “creative and tenacious.”
“In making the final selection, we have tried to focus on the advances that have either changed our lives or are in the process of changing them,” said Editor Jonathan Wood.
Goodenough’s work transitioned portable power from using the heavier-weight, short-lasting rechargeable batteries powered by aqueous electrolytes, to the much lighter-weight, longer-lasting lithium ion batteries.
The smaller, stronger batteries powered by lithium ion required new kinds of electrode materials. These had to give a battery’s cathode a lightweight structure with enough free volume for a large amount of lithium ions to be easily inserted and extracted reversibly. This movement created the greater energy within a smaller space needed to make phones or computers portable.
Goodenough’s process of design and discovery involved the “mixture of clever chemical and electrochemical intuition, rational assessment of the technical requirements, and substantial experimental effort,” Wood said.
Following Goodenough’s development of the cathode material LiCoO2, Sony combined it with a carbon anode in 1991 to create the batteries that make possible the tiny, lightweight power necessary for portable devices.
Goodenough continues perfecting lithium battery chemistry to remove the toxic cobalt and create environmentally benign batteries with the same long life and high power.
