John Goodenough, Creator Of The Lithium Ion Battery, Dead At 100

Today, the University of Texas at Austin announced that John Goodenough — the man who came up with the design for the original lithium battery — died on Sunday at the age of 100 years old. Among other scientific breakthroughs, like developing the concept for computer RAM, Goodenough did the original legwork for discovering the chemistry behind lithium ion batteries in 1980, before it was first commercialized by Sony in the early 1990s. For his efforts, he would go on to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019.

His work completely revolutionized how batteries could store energy, and lithium-ion battery technology is present in just about every modern device you can think of — ranging from cordless power tools, to phones, laptops, and electric cars. It cannot be understated how prevalent lithium-ion technology has become within the last couple of decades. Without Goodenough's contributions, batteries would likely be much more inefficient than what is available today.  

Over the course of his scientific career, Goodenough earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago, and worked with other scientists who previously worked on the Manhattan Project — the top-secret World War II scientific project that brought forth the first atomic bomb. 

Ram Manthiram from the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas said of his friend Goodenough in a press release: "John's seven decades of dedication to science and technology dramatically altered our lifestyle, and it was truly a privilege to get to work with him for so many years,?" Manthiram said. "John was one of the greatest minds of our time and is an inspiration. He was a good listener with love and respect for everyone. I will always cherish our time together, and we will continue to build on the foundation John established."

According to the University of Texas, Goodenough had no children and his wife of 70 plus years, Irene, died in 2016.