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David Mitzi

Simon Family Distinguished Professor
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
363 Gross Hall, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708
Box 90300 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708-0300

Overview


David Mitzi received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Physics from Princeton University in 1985 and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University in 1990.  Prior to joining the faculty at Duke in 2014, Dr. Mitzi spent 23 years at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center, where his focus was on the search for and application of new electronic materials, including organic-inorganic perovskites and inorganic materials for photovoltaic, LED, transistor and memory applications.  For his final five years at IBM, he served as manager for the Photovoltaic Science and Technology Department, where he initiated and managed a multi-company program to develop a low-cost, high-throughput approach to deposit thin-film chalcogenide-based absorber layers for high-efficiency solar cells. Dr. Mitzi’s current research interests involve making emerging photovoltaic materials more effective, cost-efficient and competitive for the energy market. He holds a number of patents, and has authored or coauthored more than 300 papers and book chapters.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2014 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering
Executive Director of the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility · 2025 - Present Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Chemistry · 2022 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published February 22, 2024
From Junkyards to a Lab: Grad Student’s Curiosity of Solar Energy
Published November 16, 2023
Which Duke Scholars Made the Most Cited List?
Published September 25, 2023
Building a Better Solar Cell

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Recent Publications


Dimensionality-Controlled Confinement Effects for Tunable Optoelectronic Properties in Quasi-1D Hybrid Perovskites.

Journal Article ACS nano · April 2025 Hybrid perovskite dimensional engineering enables the creation of one- to three-dimensional (1D to 3D) networks of corner-sharing metal halide octahedra interspersed by organic cations, offering opportunities to tailor semiconducting properties through qua ... Full text Cite

Device Performance of Emerging Photovoltaic Materials (Version 5)

Journal Article Advanced Energy Materials · March 25, 2025 This 5th annual “Emerging PV Report” highlights the latest advancements in the performance of emerging photovoltaic (e-PV) devices across various e-PV research areas, as documented in peer-reviewed articles published since August 2023. Updated graphs, tabl ... Full text Cite

Emergence of melt and glass states of halide perovskite semiconductors

Journal Article Nature Reviews Materials · March 1, 2025 Metal halide perovskites have attracted considerable attention among emerging semiconductors because they can be fabricated at a low cost and have outstanding optoelectronic properties, exhibiting record-breaking performance in photovoltaic, light-emitting ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Collaborative Research: DMREF: Data-Driven Prediction of Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Structures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2023 - 2027

REU SITE: Collaborative Research: Nanoscale Detectives -- Elucidating the Structure and Dynamics of Hybrid Perovskite Systems

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2025

Collaborative Research: Amorphous-Crystalline Switching in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Semiconductors

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University · 1990 Ph.D.
Princeton University · 1985 B.S.