M. Stanley Whittingham Joins CREB Steering Committee

CREB

Michael Stanley Whittingham, a chemist and winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will join the University of Maryland (UMD) Center for Research in Extreme Batteries (CREB) as a steering committee member.

"I'm excited to join the steering committee of CREB, and to bring my varied background of industry and academia to bear on the challenges of using batteries under extreme conditions," Whittingham said.

Originally from Nottingham, England, Whittingham completed his D. Phil. in Chemistry at Oxford University in 1968, after which he transferred to Stanford University to conduct his postdoctoral studies. In 1977, he made his mark after inventing the first rechargeable lithium-ion battery while working for Exxon Research and Engineering Co. That battery was significantly smaller than other batteries of the time, and it was rechargeable.

According to the Nobel Foundation, the cathode that Whittingham created "was made from titanium disulphide which, at a molecular level, has spaces that can house lithium ions. Whittingham's contributions were crucial for the development of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in, for example, mobile phones and electric cars." Indeed, when lithium-ion batteries hit the market in 1991, they completely transformed life as we know it, becoming an intricate part of daily life and forming the foundation for a world free of fossil fuels. Follow this link to watch a video of Dr. Whittingham accepting his prize.

Currently, Whittingham serves as a professor of chemistry and as director of the Northeastern Center for Chemical Energy Storage (NECCES) at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He was initially encouraged to join CREB by Army Research Laboratory Fellow and Team Leader, Kang Xu, and then again later on, and even more enthusiastically, by Chunsheng Wang, UMD Professor and CREB Director.

"We are honored to be working with a scientist of Stanley's caliber," said James Short, CREB's Program Administrator. "Stanley brings with him a breadth of experience and innovation, and we look forward to what collaborations with him might bring."

Additional media:

The Nobel Journey of M. Stanley Whittingham, May 2020

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019, October 2019

Published March 22, 2021