Mercouri Kanatzidis

Mercouri Kanatzidis (; born 1957) is a Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of chemistry and professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University and Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory.

Kanatzidis is one of the most cited researchers in Materials Science and Engineering based on Elsevier Scopus data. He has published over 1,655 manuscripts (h-index =197 Google h-index =219] ) and has over 60 patents. Kanatzidis has mentored over 100 Ph.D. students and nearly 130 postdoctoral fellows.

Early life and education Kanatzidis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He received his B.S. degree from Aristotle University in 1979 and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1984

Research Kanatzidis developed synthesis methodologies to synthesizing new chalcogenide materials and intermetallics. One of his notable contributions is the panoramic synthesis method, which enables the design and discovery of novel materials. He is also credited with developing flux synthesis techniques that allow for reactions to occur at lower temperatures than conventional methods, leading to the formation of unique structures and compositions.

In addition to these contributions, Kanatzidis's research has resulted in the discovery of metal sulfide ion-exchangers, which have practical applications in the remediation of heavy metals in industrial waste water. These findings demonstrate his ability to not only generate new materials but also to identify and apply them in real-world settings.

Kanatzidis is also credited with defining the concept of nanostructuring in the thermoelectric field. By developing new approaches to controlling the structure and composition of thermoelectric materials at the nanoscale, he has contributed to the advancement of this field and the creation of high-performance materials with unique properties. These methods for achieving "nanostructuring" and all-scale architecturing of thermoelectric semiconductors, resulted in the creation of high-performance materials with unprecedented ZT figures of merit (ZT~2.5). These materials feature coherently embedded nanodots, such as those found in PbTe (a phenomenon known as endotaxy), which significantly reduce thermal conductivity by over 70%, while maintaining high electrical conductivity. This unique combination of properties allows for the attainment of very high ZT values exceeding 2.5 in nanostructured thermoelectric materials.

Kanatzidis, together with fellow Northwestern researcher Professor Robert P.H. Chang developed a novel solar-cell technology that used tin rather than lead in a perovskite material. In their groundbreaking study, they reported the first fully solid-state solar-cell device incorporating a CsSnI3 perovskite film in a solid-state dye-sensitized Grätzel-type cell, where CsSnI3 functioned as an intrinsic semiconductor and hole-transport layer. The work marked an important conceptual shift from liquid-electrolyte dye-sensitized cells toward fully solid-state perovskite semiconductor devices.

In 2013 he reported the x-ray detecting properties of the perovskite CsPbBr3 semiconductor with potential applications in gamma-ray spectroscopy having better than 1.4% energy resolution.

Kanatzidis has proposed ideas and concepts for predictive synthesis to new materials including "infinitely adaptive" homologous superseries and the panoramic synthesis strategy where with a single experiment all phases in the course of a given reaction can be detected. This offers a panoramic view of all the phases present, and could help unravel the mechanisms of how new materials form.

Kanatzidis invented chalcogels, a novel class of porous metal-chalcogenide materials that exhibit aerogel-like properties. These inorganic networks possess a highly open, sponge-like structure with exceptionally high surface area, enabling efficient adsorption of heavy-metal ions and radionuclides from aqueous solutions. Chalcogels have demonstrated the remarkable ability to reduce concentrations of mercury, lead, and cadmium to parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels, as well as to capture radionuclides.

Awards and honors 2026 - William H. Nichols Medal 2025 - Honorary Doctorate Degree from ETH Zurich, Switzerland 2025 - University of Ioannina-Honorary Doctorate Degree 2025 - Albert Einstein World Award of Science 2025 - ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials 2024 - University of Cyprus Honorary Doctorate Degree 2024 - Sigma Xi Walston Chubb Award for Innovation 2024 - National Academy of Sciences 2023 - Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize 2023 - American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2022 - Global Energy Prize (declined) 2021 - Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher since 2015 (in three different disciplines: chemistry, physics, and materials science) 2019 - DOE Ten at Ten Scientific Ideas Award for the first demonstration of all-solid-state solar cells using halide perovskite materials. 2018 - American Institute of Chemistry Chemical Pioneer Award 2017 - Hershel and Hilda Rich Visiting Professorship, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology 2017 - University of Crete - Honorary Doctorate Degree 2016 - Samson Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation 2016 – American Physical Society (APS) Fellow 2016 - APS James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials 2016 – ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry 2015 - ENI Award for the "Renewable Energy Prize" category 2015 - Awarded Wilhelm Manchot Professorship, Technical University of Munich 2015 - Elected Fellow of the Royal Chemical Society 2015 - Royal Chemical Society De Gennes Prize 2014 – Materials Research Society (MRS) Medal 2014 - International Thermoelectric Society Outstanding Achievement Award 2014 - Einstein Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences 2013 - Cheetham Lecturer Award, University of California Santa Barbara 2012 - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow 2003 - Alexander von Humboldt Prize 2002 - John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow 2001 - University Distinguished Professor MSU 2000 - Sigma Xi Senior Meritorious Faculty Award 1998 - Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award 1993-1998 - Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher Scholar 1991-1993 - Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (see Sloan Fellows) 1992-1994 - Beckman Young Investigator 1990 - ACS Inorganic Chemistry Division Award, EXXON Faculty Fellowship in Solid State Chemistry 1989-1994 - Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation