John Bannister Goodenough was a preeminent American materials scientist whose groundbreaking work revolutionized modern energy storage technology. Born in Jena, Germany to American parents on July 25, 1922, he obtained his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Yale University in 1943 while serving as a meteorologist in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After completing military service, he pursued graduate studies in physics at the University of Chicago, earning his master's degree in 1951 and doctorate in 1952 under a government-funded fellowship. He began his research career at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in 1952, where he developed the ferromagnetic-oxide memory element for the first random-access memory of digital computers, before becoming head of Oxford University's Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory in 1976.
Dr. Goodenough's most transformative contribution came in 1979 when, while at Oxford University, he and his collaborators developed the revolutionary lithium cobalt oxide cathode material that enabled the first practical high-voltage lithium-ion battery with a 4-volt potential, significantly improving upon earlier designs that only achieved 2.5 volts. His identification of the Goodenough-Kanamori rules governing magnetic superexchange in materials and his work on the fundamental relationships between chemical, structural, and electrical properties of transition-metal oxides established foundational principles in solid-state chemistry. This critical cathode material, LiCoO2, became the cornerstone of rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology that would power the wireless revolution and transform portable electronics worldwide. The ubiquitous presence of his invention in smartphones, laptops, medical devices, and electric vehicles demonstrates the extraordinary practical impact of his theoretical and materials science expertise on modern society.
In recognition of his seminal contributions, Goodenough was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino, becoming the oldest person ever to receive a Nobel Prize at age 97. His distinguished career was further honored with the National Medal of Science, the Copley Medal, the Presidential Enrico Fermi Award in 2009, and the Charles Stark Draper Prize, among numerous other prestigious accolades. As the Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Professor of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin from 1986 until his death, he continued his pioneering research on battery materials well into his nineties, seeking to develop even safer and more efficient energy storage solutions. John B. Goodenough passed away on June 25, 2023, at the age of 100, leaving behind an enduring legacy as one of the most influential materials scientists of the modern era whose work fundamentally shaped the technological landscape of the 21st century.
