Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Develops New Battery With Huge Potential
At 94 years old, John Goodenough has accomplished a lot since he was born nearly a century ago. The co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, a profoundly ubiquitous source of power today, is now a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he recently led a team of engineers to develop the world’s first all-solid-state battery cells.
His new battery is fast-charging and long-lasting. It’s also environmentally friendly compared with other batteries and is noncombustible. Based on this, the battery would have many applications, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and energy storage for homes.
“Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough told UT News.
These new battery cells have three times as much energy density as lithium-ion batteries and be recharged for more cycles as well. They can also operate in sub-zero temperatures (up to -20 degrees Celsius), a first for all-solid-state batteries.
Goodenough and his team are continuing their research, conducting tests, and obtaining patents.
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