The MRS Medal recognizes an exceptional achievement in materials research in the past ten years. A medal will be awarded for a major advance or cluster of closely related advances in any materials-related field of research. The impact of this research on the progress of the relevant materials field will be a primary consideration in making the award. MRS acknowledges the generosity of Dr. Gwo-Ching Wang and Dr. Toh-Ming Lu in endowing the MRS Medal.
Submit a Nomination
Submission Deadline is May 1, 2024
Each medal will consist of a $5,000 cash prize, an engraved and mounted medal and a citation certificate. The registration fee will be paid for the medalist to attend the MRS meeting at which the medal talk is presented, and reasonable travel expenses to the MRS meeting will be reimbursed.
Rules and eligibility, nomination package requirements and more are available here.
MRS TV speaks with 2023 MRS Medal winner Delia Milliron.
Delia J. Milliron, The University of Texas at AustinFor the development of optically tunable metal oxide nanomaterials for applications such as energy-saving electrochromic windows
Chad A. Mirkin, Northwestern UniversityFor the invention and implementation of nanoparticle mega-libraries for materials discovery
"For contributions to advancing the understanding of processing, structure, and properties of two-dimensional carbides and nitrides (MXenes) for energy storage applications"
"For outstanding contributions to advanced materials design, synthesis and characterization for energy storage, particularly Li battery technologies"
"For outstanding contributions on the study of anisotropic nanoscale materials, transformation and application"
"For pioneering contributions to materials for diverse classes of bio-integrated electronic systems"
"For developing new synthesis routes inspired by biological principles for the fabrication of advanced complex multifunctional materials and devices"
"For seminal contributions to shape-controlled synthesis of metal nanocrystals with major impact on catalysis, plasmonics and biomedicine"
"For pioneering contributions in the discovery of new classes of 3D Topological Insulators."
"For the discovery of efficient methods to synthesize water dispersible conducting polymer nanofibers and their applications in sensors, actuators, molecular memory devices, catalysis, and the novel process of flash welding”
"For foundational work elucidating processes of nanoparticle self-assembly."
"For the discovery and development of nanostructured thermoelectric materials"
"For discovery of the extraordinary high intrinsic thermal conductivity of graphene, development of an original optothermal measurement technique for investigation of thermal properties of graphene, and theoretical explanation of the unique features of the phonon transport in graphene”
"For his contribution to the molecular level understanding of material surfaces under ambient conditions of gas pressure and temperature made possible by the development and application of Ambient Pressure Photo-Electron Spectroscopy (APPES), which revealed the chemical structure of liquids, catalysts surfaces and nanoparticles during environmental reaction conditions"
“For outstanding contributions in the creative synthesis and assembly of semiconductor nanowires and their heterostructures, and innovations in nanowire-based photonics, thermoelectrics, solar energy conversion and nanofluidic applications.”
“For seminal contributions in the discovery, controlled synthesis, and fundamental understanding of ZnO nanowires and nanobelts, and the design and fabrication of novel, nanowire-based nanosensors, piezotronic devices, and nanogenerators.”
"For pioneering the high-impact field of first-principles thermodynamics of batteries materials and for the development of high-power density Li battery compounds."
"For his fundamental contributions to the materials science of oxides underlying current and future electronic devices."
"For his fundamental contributions to the materials science of oxides underlying current and future electronic devices"
“For important developments in the materials science and applications of carbon nanotubes."
“For development of highly efficient heavy metal phosphor complexes”
"For realizing that nanoclusters of layered compound materials (e.g., MoS2, WS2) can be made to fold into hollow cage structures, in analogy to graphitic carbon. These structures, known as 'inorganic fullerenes,' constitute a materials class with exciting new properties."
"For work on adhesion and friction, which has revolutionized the understanding of molecular mechanisms responsible for these technologically vital phenomena."
"For seminal contributions to understanding mechanisms of thin-film surface and interface morphology evolution and establishing the foundations of diffraction and scattering methods for its quantitative analysis."
"For his pioneering application of principles of sol-gel chemistry to the self-assembly of functional nanoscale materials."
"For his innovative studies of exchange bias in magnetic heterostructures and nanostructures."
"For controlled synthesis of nanowire and nanotube materials."
"For molecular dynamics simulations elucidating the microscopic behavior of solid and liquid interfacial junctions and atomistic processes of tribology."
"For pioneering studies of friction at the atomic and molecular level."
"For contributions to the statistical mechanics of materials surfaces."
"For the development and characterization of low-pressure synthesis of nanocrystalline diamond films from fullerene precursors."
"For pioneering contributions and leadership in the development of visible-spectrum light-emitting diode materials and devices."
"For pioneering contributions to the growth and optoelectronic applications of organic semiconductor thin films."
"For the development and fundamental understanding of bulk metallic glass forming alloys"
"For the development of lattice-mismatched GaN-based heteroepitaxy and its application to the creation of blue and green light-emitting diodes and short wavelength laser diodes."
"For seminal contributions to the theory of strain relaxation in thin films."
"For seminal contributions to compositionally graded materials, using bandgap engineering, and their innovative applications in electronics and optoelectronics."
"For pioneering experiments on the role of atomic structure, surface stress, and surfactants in heteroepitaxial growth."
"For innovative development of STM as a quantitative probe of the microscopic mechanisms of crystal growth and ordering at surfaces."
"For incisive studies of chemical effects of ultrasound and the use of sonochemistry in synthesis of unusual inorganic materials."
"For the discovery of a method to produce macroscopic quantities of fullerenes, and for elucidating their properties."
"For the discovery of a method to produce macroscopic quantities of fullerenes and for elucidating their properties."
"For the development and application of incoherent (Z-contrast) imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope for direct determination of the atomic scale structure and chemistry of materials and interfaces."
"In recognition of his leadership and vision in the atomic scale engineering of relaxor ferroelectric materials as the prototype of self-assembling nanocomposites."
"In recognition of his dynamic research leading to the fabrication of high speed heterojunction bipolar transistors."
"In recognition of his innovation and energy in pioneering the field of hydrothermal synthesis of ceramic materials."
"In recognition of his pioneering achievements in the field of monolayer and low dimensional magnetism."
"In recognition of his seminal work in the synthesis, characterization, understanding and application of polymer based solid electrolyte materials."
“For seminal contributions in the discovery, controlled synthesis, and fundamental understanding of ZnO nanowires and nanobelts, and the design and fabrication of novel, nanowire-based nanosensors, piezotronic devices, and nanogenerators.”