Michael Grätzel

Michael Grätzel. He is a Swiss chemist and professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne renowned for his pioneering work in energy conversion and photonics. His most famous invention is the dye-sensitized solar cell, often called the Grätzel cell, which revolutionized the field of photovoltaics. His research has profoundly impacted renewable energy technologies and nanomaterials science, earning him numerous prestigious international awards.

Early life and education

Michael Grätzel was born in Dorfchemnitz, Saxony, within Nazi Germany. He pursued his higher education in West Berlin, studying chemistry at the Free University of Berlin. He completed his doctorate under the supervision of photochemist Arnim Henglein at the Technical University of Berlin, where his early research focused on semiconductor nanoparticles and light-induced electron transfer processes. This foundational work laid the essential groundwork for his later revolutionary discoveries in solar energy.

Career and research

Following his PhD, Grätzel conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Notre Dame in the United States before joining the faculty of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. At EPFL, he founded and directs the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces, a world-leading center for research in artificial photosynthesis and next-generation solar cells. His extensive body of work spans mesoscopic materials, electron transport, and light harvesting, with major contributions also to the development of perovskite solar cells. He is a highly cited researcher and a member of several academies, including the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

Dye-sensitized solar cells

In 1991, Grätzel and his colleague Brian O'Regan published a landmark paper in the journal Nature introducing the first high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell. This device, inspired by the principles of natural photosynthesis, uses a layer of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide coated with light-absorbing molecular dyes and a redox electrolyte. Unlike conventional silicon-based photovoltaics, the Grätzel cell offered a low-cost, flexible, and semi-transparent alternative. This breakthrough sparked global research into third-generation photovoltaics and has led to commercial applications in building-integrated photovoltaics and portable electronics.

Awards and honors

Grätzel's contributions have been recognized with many of the world's top scientific prizes. He received the Marcel Benoist Prize in 1998, often considered the "Swiss Nobel Prize". Major accolades include the Harvey Prize from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in 2007 and the prestigious Millennium Technology Prize in 2010. Further honors are the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 2012, the King Faisal International Prize for Science in 2015, and the CNRS Gold Medal in 2021. He holds honorary doctorates from numerous institutions, including the Delft University of Technology and the University of Basel.

Personal life

Michael Grätzel is a naturalized citizen of Switzerland and has spent the majority of his professional life in Lausanne. He is married and maintains a relatively private life, with his public persona being defined almost exclusively by his scientific achievements and mentorship. An avid promoter of sustainable energy solutions, he frequently lectures at international forums like the World Economic Forum and advises various governmental and industrial bodies on energy policy and innovation.

Category:Swiss chemists Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne faculty Category:Solar cell researchers