AUSTIN, Texas – A University of Texas at Austin professor is one of three men who have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on lithium-ion batteries.
- 1 of 3 Chemistry prize winners
- Professor is 97 years old
- Has taught at UT since 1986
Every time you plug in your phone or laptop to charge, you have Professor John Goodenough to thank.
Goodenough is known worldwide for his work on developing lithium-ion batteries, and in the early morning hours on Wednesday, he was one of three who won the Chemistry prize.
He will share the approximate $900,000 USD with M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino. They also were awarded for their work on batteries.
Goodenough is 97 years old, making him the oldest winner of a Nobel Prize. Next up was Arthur Ashkin who won the Physics prize in 2018 at the age of 96.
“Live to 97 (years old) and you can do anything,” said Goodenough in a written statement. “I’m honored and humbled to win the Nobel prize. I thank all my friends for the support and assistance throughout my life.”
According to the University of Texas, Goodenough found the materials that allow the batteries to store a large amount of energy in such a small space.
That’s why these types of batteries are used in everything from hand-held devices to electric vehicles.
“This battery has made a large instep in the switch from fossil fuel transportation – petrol driven cars for example – (to) where we are now, in the middle of a switch to electrically driven cars,” said Nobel Committee member Olof Ramström.