Esther Sans Takeuchi (born Esther Sans, ) is a

materials scientist Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries. The intellectual origins of materials scien ...

and chemical engineer, working on

energy storage Energy storage is the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time to reduce imbalances between energy demand and energy production. A device that stores energy is generally called an Accumulator (energy), accumulator or Batte ...

systems and power sources for biomedical devices. She is also a distinguished professor at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

and a chief scientist at

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratories, United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, New York, a hamlet of the Brookhaven, New York, Town of Brookhaven. It w ...

. She holds more than 150 U.S. patents. “The battery was invented once and reinvented over 100 times. I don’t own the patent. The company does. It was called Greatbatch. Now it’s called Integer Corp. When you join a company, you sign over your patent rights to the company.”

Life and career

Takeuchi is the daughter of Mary (''Marija'') and Rudolf Sans (''Rūdolfs Sāns)'', Second World War refugees from Latvia.Jerry Zremski
"Daughter of Latvian refugees receives top technological award at White House"
''The Buffalo News'', Oct. 8, 2009, republished on ''The Baltic Course'', Oct. 14, 2009. Rudolf and Mary fled Soviet-occupied Latvia for Germany in 1945, living in a refugee camp for several years, ultimately immigrating to the United States. Takeuchi graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1975 having majored in chemistry and history. She then worked on her Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

until 1981, under the direction of Dr. Harold Shechter. Her graduate research focused on the reactions of alkoxides with (chloromethyl)trisubstituted silanes. While working on her Ph.D., she met Kenneth J. Takeuchi and the two married on May 15, 1982. After completing post-doctoral training in electrochemistry at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and the

University of Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

, she worked at Greatbatch Inc. in

Clarence, New York Clarence is a town and affluent suburb located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States, northeast of Buffalo. The population was 32,950 according to the 2020 census estimate. This represents an increase of 7.4% from the ...

for 22 years. It was here, under the funding of

Wilson Greatbatch Wilson Greatbatch (September 6, 1919 – September 27, 2011) was an American engineer and pioneering inventor. He held more than 325 patents and was a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Lemelson–MIT Prize ...

, that Takeuchi continued development of the Li/SVO battery. She has also worked on batteries for neuro stimulators, drug delivery systems, pacemakers, and also industrial batteries for environments concerning high temperatures, vibrations, and need of reliability. In 2007, she joined academia at the University of Buffalo as the Greatbatch Professor of Advanced Power Sources. She is currently a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University in the departments of chemistry, and material science and engineering. She was selected as the 2013 recipient of the E.V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, sponsored by Exxon Mobil. Takeuchi is also a Fellow of

The Electrochemical Society The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership comprises ...

and served as the organization's president from 2011-2012.

Current/recent

On July 16, 2018, Takeuchi’s company has been awarded a $12 million grant from the Department of Energy. They aim and want to focus on the development of batteries that are high energy and high power, which has traditionally been complicated and unfeasible. These batteries could be used in electric vehicles or in combination with renewable solar energy systems and renewable energy farms. The company also has several projects funded by the DOE and supported by partners such as Mercedes-Benz. One particular project is focused around increasing the energy content of the negative electrode within electric vehicles and a secondary project is centered around increase the energy content of the positive electrode. A third program is focused around enabling electric vehicles to charge faster. Together, they will be able to increase the range of current electric vehicles and make EVs a much more feasible and enticing option/competitor to traditional gasoline vehicles.

Vision

Takeuchi visions to create an entity bringing together Stony Brook, Brookhaven National Lab, federal funding, state funding, industry, and philanthropy, creating an institute focused on energy and the environment.

Innovation

Takeuchi has been primarily recognized and awarded for her innovation regarding implantable cardiac defibrillators. Millions of people around the world rely on these devices. For these devices to be easily miniature and reliable, they needed to be connected to an energy source that was also characteristically similar. Takeuchi’s innovation allowed for such devices to effectively function. The innovation is a new type of battery technology regarding a new cathode material, highly conductive electrolyte, and a novel cell design enabling high power and resulting in the creation of a silver vanadium oxide battery. These batteries are highly powerful, miniature in size, and have a long life. All of these characteristics greatly benefit ICD’s and their ability to help people with irregular rhythms and beating frequencies within their hearts. Every year, there are more than 300,000 ICDs implanted, and every year, the silver vanadium oxide battery is the dominant battery used by these devices. These SVO batteries are able to last for around five years, compared to the life of around a year for the other forms of batteries. Being implanted into the body, the life of such an implant is crucial. If traditional forms of batteries are used, patients usually have to go through surgery every year to replace the devices and ensure the functionality of the implant. With the SVO batteries, the batteries last much longer, over five times, and therefore patients don’t have to have their devices replaced as frequently. Initially launched into the marketplace it the late 1980s and early 1990s, these SVO batteries are still prevalent and widely used today.

Awards

* European Inventor Award in the "non-EPO countries" category, presented by the

European Patent Office The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation

(EPO), 2018
E.V. Murphree Award in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry
American Chemical Society, 2013 * Elected,

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

, 2004 * Fellow,

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...

, 1999 *

National Medal of Technology and Innovation The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (formerly the National Medal of Technology) is an honor granted by the president of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development ...

, 2008 - for inventing the

silver vanadium oxide battery Lithium metal batteries are nonrechargeable primary batteries that have metallic lithium as an anode. The name refers to the metal as to distinguish them from rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which use lithiated metal oxides as the cathode ...

that powers implantable

cardiac defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). Defibrillation delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''count ...

s * Inductee,

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a US patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also operate ...

, 2011 *Fellow,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, 2021 *

NAS Award in Chemical Sciences The National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences is awarded for innovative research in the chemical sciences that in the broadest sense contributes to a better understanding of the natural sciences and to the benefit of humanity. Recip ...

(2022)

Books

* Vanadium: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Practical Applications / Edition 1, by Alan S. Tracey, Gail R. Willsky, Esther S. Takeuchi

References

External links

Stony Brook University professor and Brookhaven Lab scientist honored for leading advances in energy storage technology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takeuchi, Esther Living people University of Pennsylvania alumni Ohio State University Graduate School alumni American chemical engineers Battery inventors 1953 births American inventors American women inventors American people of Latvian descent Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering National Medal of Technology recipients University at Buffalo faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Presidents of the Electrochemical Society