Battery research scientist honoured
19 October 2005
News
Michael Thackeray of Argonne National Laboratory, is the recipient of the 2005 Research Award of the Battery Division of the Electrochemical Society. Born and educated in South Africa, Thackeray is a materials scientist in Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division. Argonne is a US Department of Energy laboratory operated by the University of Chicago.
Michael Thackeray
Thackeray received his Ph.D in Chemistry in 1977 from the University of Cape Town and studied as a postdoctoral student at Oxford University. From 1973 to 1994, he was employed at the CSIR in Pretoria, where he initiated his research on the structural and electrochemical characterisation of silver-iodide-based solid electrolytes that showed high ionic conductivity at room temperature. He was involved with Dr Johan Coetzer in developing the early concepts of the pioneering high-temperature sodium-metal-chloride ('Zebra') battery technology. He is perhaps best known for his research on electrode materials for lithium batteries; the technology he developed helps power everyday objects like cellphones.
He joined Argonne in 1994 and is currently a senior scientist and a group leader responsible for materials development. Thackeray has more than 160 research publications and holds 24 patents, some of which have led to the international commercialisation of battery materials.
Earlier this year, Thackeray was recognised on the commemorative wall at Africa's first internationally-accredited science park - The Innovation Hub - for contributions as a South African to world science and technology, and recently, a street was named after him at The Innovation Hub.
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