Chemistry
Michael Grätzel
Chemist, inventor of the dye-sensitised solar cell
Born 1944
Photo: Patrik Tschudin · CC BY 2.0
Michael Grätzel invented a solar cell that works like photosynthesis, using dye molecules on a titanium dioxide surface instead of silicon. Grätzel cells can be printed, made transparent and work in low light, and are being built into windows and facades.
Key achievements
- Invented the dye-sensitized solar cell, the Grätzel cell, 1991
- Millennium Technology Prize, 2010
- One of the most cited chemists in the world
Universities
Lausanne, on Lake Geneva
Professor and director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces since 1977.
Facts
- The cell is among the most cited inventions in chemistry, and he is one of the most cited chemists alive.
- The Swiss Tech Convention Centre at EPFL has a facade of coloured Grätzel cells that generate power while acting as stained glass.
- His work is now central to research on perovskite solar cells, the fastest-improving photovoltaic technology.