About

Mercouri G. Kanatzidis is a Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University with a background that includes a B.S. from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki obtained in 1979 and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa completed in 1984. His research focuses on inorganic chemistry, solid state and coordination chemistry of chalcogenide compounds, with particular interest in the design of new materials, exploratory synthesis, thermoelectric materials, nanostructured materials, intermetallics, mesoporous semiconductors, phase-change materials, conducting polymers, and intercalation chemistry applications of new materials. Kanatzidis has made significant contributions to the understanding and development of high-performance semiconductors, thermoelectric materials, and novel chalcogenide phases, advancing the field through his innovative research and synthesis techniques.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Crystallography
• Physics
• Inorganic chemistry
• Condensed matter physics
• Optics
• Thermodynamics
• Organic chemistry
• Chemical physics
• Composite material
• Chemical engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Physical chemistry
• Engineering
• Metallurgy
• Quantum mechanics
• Engineering physics
• Nuclear physics
• Business
• Mechanical engineering
• Medicine

Selected publications

• A cation-functionalized layer for ethylene electrosynthesis via CO reduction paired with H2 oxidation in a pure-water-fed solid-state electrolyser

  Nature Energy · 2026-02-17 · 1 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Defect-Driven Local Structures in 3D Hollow Hybrid Perovskites Resolved by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

  Chemistry of Materials · 2026-04-27

  articleCorresponding

  Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are versatile semiconductors with high defect tolerance. Among emerging MHP architectures, the 3D “hollow” perovskites incorporating ethylenediammonium (en) dications represent a unique defect stabilization paradigm by retaining structural order, stability, and performance. However, the local chemical environments of defects that underpin bulk properties have remained unresolved, due to the inherently averaging nature of diffraction techniques. Here, we address this information gap by probing both crystallinity and defect-specific local structures in three representative hollow systems, enMAPbI3, enFAPbI3, and enFAPbBr3 (MA: methylammonium; FA: formamidinium), using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), periodic density-functional theory (DFT), and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. Specifically, ssNMR allows to identify two distinct vacancy regimes: a low-en (below 30%) regime with trans conformers that stabilize the framework by simultaneously generating Pb deficiency, and a new high-en (above 30%) regime with conformationally disordered en dications that lead to distortions in PbX6 octahedra and crystallinity features. Insights into defect sites and their local chemical environments are obtained by analyzing 1D 1H, 207Pb, and 2D 1H–1H and 1H–14N correlation NMR spectra. These findings help explain defect compensation mechanisms, reconciling correlated trends between bandgap evolution and stability across iodine- and bromine-based hollow perovskites, and are expected to provide a framework for rationalizing defect engineering strategies in hybrid perovskites and related metal halides.

  PublisherDOI

• Synthetic routes to advancing perovskite solar cells through interface design

  Nature Synthesis · 2026-04-16

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• A stoichiometrically conserved homologous series with infinite structural diversity

  Science · 2025-12-04 · 2 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  We describe a compositionally guided structural evolution within a stoichiometrically conserved framework, BaSbQ 3 (Q = Te 1− x S x ), where each value of x gives rise to a distinct phase. The fundamental building blocks, A 1 (BaSbSTe 2 ) and B n (Ba n Sb n S n −1 Te 2 n +1 ), were composed of modular double rocksalt slabs stacked with functional polytelluride zigzag chains, with each phase differing only in the size and assembly of these blocks. Ten compounds were synthesized that maintained a coherent chemical identity that arose from this isovalent, isoelectronic substitution of Te and S. We envision that the phase formation at a molecular level unfolds in stages of extension, termination, and assembly and propose a design concept of “anionic disparity,” where phase homologies and polytelluride hierarchical networks can be controlled by leveraging differences in anion electron affinity and sizes.

  PublisherDOI

• Deterministic Control of Sn3+ Valence and Electronic Phase Evolution in AgSnSe2

  Research Square · 2025-12-08

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Theory of Excitonic States and their Fine Structure in Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots

  2025-12-15

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• Development of a Full Readout System for a DSSD-LiInP2Se6 Neutron Detector in Single Crystal Diffractometery

  2025-11-01

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  As a lithium-based semiconducting material, Lithium Indium Phosphorus Selenide (LiInP2Se6) shows strong potential for neutron detection applications due to its high neutron sensitivity, fine spatial resolution, and compatibility with strip-based readout architectures. This work reports on the development of a full detection system based on a tiled array of double-sided strip (DSSD) LiInP2Se6 sensors, designed for single-crystal diffractometer (SCD) applications with a spatial resolution target below <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$500 \mu ~\mathrm{m}$</tex>. To support high-density, parallel signal acquisition, the sensor array is interfaced with custom-designed front-end electronics utilizing VATAGP7 ASICs for charge collection and signal processing. The goal of this work is to present thearchitecture of the complete detection system, covering sensor fabrication and integration, front-end and back-end electronic design, and system-level considerations for achieving modularity, scalability, and highthroughput operation in advanced neutron imaging environments.

  PublisherDOI

• Polymorphism and Phase Control in Dion–Jacobson 2D 3-(Aminomethyl)piperidinium-Based Metal Iodide Perovskites

  Chemistry of Materials · 2025-12-03 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Two-dimensional halide perovskites exhibit rich structural diversity and tunable optoelectronic properties, making them promising materials for energy, sensing, and photonic applications. We report the structural mapping of four distinct polymorphs, γ (P21/c), β (P4/mbm), α (P4/mmm), and δ (Cmcm) in the two-dimensional iodoplumbate, iodostannate, and iodogermanate perovskite so-called Dion–Jacobson series (3AMP)MI4 (M = Sn, Pb, Ge), where 3AMP is 3-(aminomethyl)piperidinium. The phases exhibit systematic evolution in octahedral distortion, lattice symmetry, and metal–halide geometry, enabling structural control over optoelectronic properties. Notably, the α-phase of (3AMP)SnI4 represents a rare, ambient-stable, high-symmetry structure for Sn-based perovskites, without a phase transition down to 100 K. Variable-temperature single-crystal diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and calorimetry reveal metal- and temperature-dependent polymorph interconversions, including the emergence of long-range supercell reflections in Pb-rich compositions at low temperature. Optical spectroscopy and photoelectron yield spectroscopy confirm band gap tunability and band alignment trends, highlighting symmetry-dependent shifts and anomalous band gap bowing in mixed-metal systems, verified by electronic structure calculations. Calculations additionally indicate that the higher symmetry phases have reduced electron and hole effective masses compared to the lower symmetry phases.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Carrier Diffusion Links Single Crystal Quality and Photoluminescence in Halide Perovskite Radiation Detectors

  Advanced Materials · 2025-10-16 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Halide perovskites have emerged as promising materials for next‐generation radiation detectors, echoing their transformative impact on photovoltaics. Due to the long penetration depths of X‐rays and γ‐rays, thick single crystals are required to sufficiently attenuate the radiation, making bulk crystal quality critical for device performance. Photoluminescence properties, particularly long lifetimes and redshifted emission peaks, are commonly used as proxies for identifying high‐quality CsPbBr 3 crystals for high‐performance detectors, yet the physical origin of this correlation remains unclear. Here, complementary photoluminescence techniques with a full‐spectrum fit are combined to reveal the importance of vertical diffusion in governing photoluminescence response, ultimately shaping detector performance. High‐quality crystals exhibit larger vertical diffusion coefficients (up to 0.65 cm 2 s −1 ) and lower recombination rates (down to 1.1 × 10 6 s −1 ), leading to diffusion lengths up to 5 times greater than those in low‐quality crystals. Using one‐ and two‐photon photoluminescence microscopy, microscale defects are further visualized, with suppressed redshift and distributions throughout the bulk, in low‐quality crystals. Two‐photon diffusion mapping directly reveals how these defects hinder carrier transport. These findings establish a direct link between photoluminescence and carrier diffusion, providing a quantitative framework that connects crystal quality to charge transport and device performance in perovskite radiation detectors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• La ₃ CuTe ₅ : A Narrow-Gap Semiconductor with Indirect Gap and Dual-Regime Thermally Activated Transport

  Inorganic Chemistry · 2025-10-15 · 1 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Metal-chalcogenide systems remain a long-standing research topic because of their structural diversity and potential to host emergent phenomena. Here, we report a new compound, La3CuTe5, synthesized from the halide-flux method. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies indicate the structure to be unique among reported ones. The compound crystallizes in a novel structure type adopting the orthorhombic space group Pnma and a unit cell of a = 24.3947(14) Å, b = 4.4232(2) Å, and c = 10.2142(5) Å. The tetrahedral [CuTe4] building blocks form chains along [010] by corner sharing and link [LaTe7] and [LaTe8] polyhedra via edge sharing, resulting in a three-dimensional bulk structure. Thermal analysis results indicate that the material remains stable with a temperature up to 950 °C and decomposable at 1400 °C. First-principles calculations reveal an indirect electronic band gap and flat valence bands dominated by Te p and Cu d states. Optical absorption measurements yield a band gap of ∼0.65 eV, consistent with semiconducting behavior observed in transport measurements. Fittings to the temperature-dependent resistivity reveal two thermally activated regimes associated with Arrhenius-type conduction and three-dimensional variable range hopping, respectively.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Solid State Chemistry of Crystalline and Glassy Chalcogenides

  NSF · $488k · 2008–2011

• Solid State Chemistry of Crystalline and Glassy Chalcogenides

  NSF · $234k · 2006–2008

• Collaborative Research: FRG: Beyond Crystallography: Structure of Nanostructured Materials

  NSF · $240k · 2007–2012

• Synthesis and Properties of Complex Crystalline and Glassy Metal Chalcogenides

  NSF · $495k · 2014–2017

• Solid State Chemistry of Complex Chalcogenides

  NSF · $500k · 2017–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Michael R. Wasielewski

  Northwestern University

  2994 shared

• Arthur J. Nozik

  Northwestern University

  2919 shared

• Jenny Nelson

  Imperial College London

  2917 shared

• Laura M. Herz

  University of Oxford

  2917 shared

• Nathan S. Lewis

  California Institute of Technology

  2917 shared

• Peng Wang

  Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences

  2916 shared

• See Pooi

  Griffith University

  2916 shared

• Linda F. Nazar

  University of Waterloo

  2916 shared

Labs

• Kanatzidis Research GroupPI

  The Kanatzidis Research Group focuses on the synthesis and study of novel materials for energy conversion and storage applications.

Education

• B.S.

  Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  1979

• Ph.D.

  University of Iowa

  1984

Awards & honors

• Presidential Young Investigator Award (1989-1994)
• ACS Inorganic Chemistry Division Award: EXXON Faculty Fellow…
• Beckman Young Investigator (1992-1994)
• Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (1991-1993)
• Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award (1998)