John B. Goodenough

Dr. Goodenough joined the Cockrell School of Engineering faculty in 1986. He has published more than 500 journal articles and book chapters, and has authored or edited five books. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and L'Academie des Sciences de L'Institut de France. He won the prestigious Japan Prize in 2001 for his innovative work on lightweight rechargeable batteries. He was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Santiago, Spain in 2002. In addition, he recieved the 2001-02 Cockrell School of Engineering Billy and Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Centennial Engineering Research Award. Dr. Goodenough is also a member of the University of Texas at Austin Texas Materials Institute.

Dr. Goodenough studies the relationships between the chemistry, structure and electrical properties of solids in order to design new or improved technical materials. He also explores the unusual physical properties encountered at the transition from magnetic to metallic behavior in transition-metal oxides. For example, he developed the cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries which have enabled the wireless revolution and will be used in tomorrow’s electric vehicles, power tools and hybrid cars. He studied high pressure to understand the conditions for high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides and the significant change in electrical resistance in manganese and cobalt oxides when a magnetic field is applied. Goodenough recently identified a ceramic anode material for a solid oxide fuel cell operating on natural gas.

Research interests:

• Transition-metal oxides
• Lithium ion batteries
• Fuel cells
• Oxygen-permeation membranes