Dr. Mercouri Kanatzitis

 

    

    Dr. Mercouri Kanatzitis is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University from Thessaloniki, Greece. He received his B.S from Aristotle University in 1979, and his Ph. D. from the University of Iowa five years later. Kanatzitis was first introduced to Northwestern University as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 1986. He became a professor there in 2006 after working at Michigan State University. Kanatzitis is most known for “the elaboration of flux synthesis techniques which allow reactions to proceed at lower temperatures than otherwise would and can lead to new structures and compositions” 

Led by Kanatzitis, researchers at Northwestern U. have developed a new and cheaper device able to help the authorities in the detection and more importantly the detection of radioactive isotopes. The key is cesium lead bromide in the form of crystal that allows both small and subtle detectors, and bigger and more powerful ones. This new method is not only more efficient in detecting gamma rays but is also capable of differentiating rays of different energies proper to specific isotopes. Previously, conventional cadmium zinc telluride detectors were only capable of identifying a range of gamma rays. Moreover, such technology used to be affected by the level of purity of its materials making it less reliable. The cesium lead bromide detectors are now able to perform under much more impurity significantly reducing the cost of production. The Northwestern research group will pursue its research on the matter and is excited to see their technology replace the more costly and less reliable one that currently dominates the homeland security and nuclear safety industries.  

Staff, S. (2020, December 07). New semiconductor detector shows promise for medical diagnostics and homeland security. Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://phys.org/news/2020-12-semiconductor-detector-medical-diagnostics-homeland.html

Wikipedia, (2020, October 16). Mercouri Kanatzidis. Retrieved December 08, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercouri_Kanatzidis