--- title: The legacy of this late Nobel-winning chemist deserves a plug - The Hustle description: Dr. John B. Goodenough, humble creator of the lithium-ion battery, dies at 100. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/123054790-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-goodenough_20230626225558.webp --- # The legacy of this late Nobel-winning chemist deserves a plug ![Ben Berkley](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/ben-berkley) Published: June 28, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 You may not know much about Dr. John B. Goodenough, but you know about his body of work — in fact, you’re almost certainly holding it right now. ![Dr. John B. Goodenough](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/123054790-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-goodenough_20230626225558.webp?width=595&height=400&name=123054790-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-goodenough_20230626225558.webp) The Nobel Prize-winning scientist, whose breakthrough work on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries powers many of our devices, passed away Sunday at 100, [per](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/26/science/john-goodenough-dead.html) *The New York Times*. #### **A lasting impact** In 1980, Goodenough was researching battery designs at the University of Oxford. Four years of work resulted in improved batteries similar to the high-voltage, low-volatility ones in use today. It wasn’t initially a hit — Oxford passed on the patent and Goodenough relinquished the rights to his discovery. In 1991, everything changed when Japanese scientists building upon his work produced a safe, commercialized lithium-ion battery. Judging by the nest of charging cords in view while writing this, applications for those rechargeable batteries went wild: smartphones, laptops, and tablets, for starters. - Also: Electric vehicles, defibrillators, wheelchairs, power tools, flashlights… and far more. #### **So, why isn’t Goodenough a household name?** His story is incredible — from growing up dyslexic to publishing eight books and 800+ scientific journal articles — but until the 2019 Nobel honor, Goodenough was “relatively unknown beyond scientific and academic circles and the commercial titans who exploited his work,” per *NYT*. - Having signed over the rights to his work, Goodenough received no royalties for his battery innovation. - By 2031, the global battery market [is projected](https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/06/21/2692104/0/en/Battery-Market-to-Garner-298-1-Billion-by-2031-with-12-1-CAGR-Research-Dive.html) to be worth $298.1B. His last decades as a University of Texas professor suggest missing out on the financial spoils didn’t phase him — Goodenough shared patents and donated award stipends to research. **His story isn’t over just yet: **Goodenough stayed active into his late 90s developing a new superbattery he hoped could store and transport wind, solar, and nuclear energy. 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