Esther Sans Takeuchi, a materials scientist and chemical engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, was honored by the Journal of Physical Chemistry C in a special Festschrift issue earlier this year.
The issue, which honors “Takeuchi’s ongoing research achievements and her leadership in the field of electrochemistry and electrochemical energy storage” includes a collection of articles from her mentees, colleagues, and friends. The articles are prefaced by an autobiography, “A Window into the Life and Science of Esther Sans Takeuchi,” which outlines her journey from a curious girl to a world-renowned scientist and inventor holding more than 150 U.S. patents. Among her inventions are batteries that enable a breadth of technologies ranging from medicine to clean energy.
“I am honored to be recognized by this special journal issue,” said Takeuchi. “I am particularly grateful that this provided me the opportunity to acknowledge the people who have been an important part of this journey. I also thank the colleagues who contributed their insightful manuscripts to the special issue.”
Takeuchi’s expertise in organic chemistry and electrochemistry uniquely positioned her to invent the small yet powerful lithium/silver vanadium oxide battery that made implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD) feasible. These devices deliver a shock to the heart during irregular — and potentially fatal — heart rhythms that cause poor blood flow to the body. ICDs are now widely available and have saved millions of human lives.
Takeuchi’s early battery successes focused on medical applications, also including implantable drug delivery and neurostimulation devices. But she later changed gears and now focuses on improving access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy through battery technologies.
In 2012, Takeuchi brought her battery expertise to Brookhaven Lab, where she could leverage advanced characterization techniques available at multiple DOE Office of Science user facilities, including the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), and, later in 2014, the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), the successor of NSLS. Notably, the opening of NSLS-II enabled Takeuchi and her colleagues to observe batteries while they are actively charging and discharging.
Takeuchi is currently the chair of Brookhaven’s Interdisciplinary Science Department and holds a joint appointment at Stony Brook University, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Professor and the William and Jane Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment. Looking forward, Takeuchi expects the importance of advanced electrochemical energy storage to only grow in magnitude. In particular, she is focused on designing batteries that can enable widespread adoption of electric vehicles and incorporating clean energy, like wind and solar power, into the power grid.
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to collaborate with Esther. She is an outstanding scientist who has had remarkable impact in industry, in academics, and as a leader in the national lab system,” said Amy Marschilok, manager of the Energy Storage and Energy Systems Divisions in Brookhaven’s Interdisciplinary Science Department and a professor at Stony Brook University. Marschilok has been collaborating with Takeuchi for more than 20 years. “I am delighted that she has been honored with this Festschrift as it is exciting to read the science shared by her colleagues, collaborators, and friends in this special issue.”
Takeuchi received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and history from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from The Ohio State University. She conducted postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina and the University of Buffalo, and then she spent more than 20 years at Greatbatch, Inc., where she developed the batteries for ICDs. Before joining Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University, she was a faculty member at the University of Buffalo.
Takeuchi is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. She is also a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to her membership in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Takeuchi has received several prestigious awards, including the E.V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry from the American Chemical Society and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honor for technological achievement in the United States.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.
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