John Goodenough, who co-shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the lithium-ion battery that revolutionized technology by enabling rechargeable power for pacemakers, electric cars, and cellphones, has passed away at the age of 100, the University of Texas reported on Monday.
The university reported that Goodenough passed away on Sunday at an assisted living community in Austin, Texas. The reason of death was not disclosed.
The American was “was a leader at the cutting edge of scientific research throughout the many decades of his career”, said Jay Hartzell, president of the University of Texas at Austin, where Goodenough was a faculty member for 37 years.
When he shared the prize with Japanese scientist Akira Yoshino and American scientist M Stanley Whittingham, Goodenough became the oldest recipient of the Nobel Prize.
“This rechargeable battery laid the foundation of wireless electronics such as mobile phones and laptops,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on awarding the prize.
“It also makes a fossil fuel-free world possible, as it is used for everything from powering electric cars to storing energy from renewable sources.”
Recently, Goodenough and his university team had also been looking into novel possibilities for energy storage, such as a "glass" battery with solid-state electrolyte and lithium or sodium metal electrodes.
Goodenough said that he was happy he had no obligation to retire at age 65 when the Nobel Prize was given to him.
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