John P. Ferraris (April 1947 – May 2025) was an American chemist and professor at the

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private res ...

. He was known for his pioneering work in the field of organic electronics, particularly the discovery that a charge-transfer complex between

tetrathiafulvalene Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) is an organosulfur compound with the formula . It is the parent of many tetrathiafulvenes. Studies on these heterocyclic compound contributed to the development of molecular electronics, although no practical applications ...

(TTF) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) exhibits high electrical conductivity.Ferraris, J. P.; Cowan, D. O.; Walatka, V.; Perlstein, J. H. (1973). "Electron transfer in a new highly conducting donor-acceptor complex". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society''. 95 (3): 948–949. doi: 0.1021/ja00784a066https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00784a066). This finding helped establish the foundation for the development of

conducting polymers Conductive polymers or, more precisely, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) are organic polymers that Electrical conductance, conduct electricity. Such compounds may have metallic conductivity or can be semiconductors. The main advantage o ...

and organic electronic materials.

Early life and education

Ferraris earned his B.A. in chemistry from

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes) is a private Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, it grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 40 majors to abou ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

in 1969.John P. Ferraris Faculty Profile
University of Texas at Dallas. Accessed May 2025. He then completed both an M.A. (1971) and a Ph.D. (1974) in organic chemistry at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. While a graduate student, he co-authored a seminal paper demonstrating high conductivity in a 1:1 charge-transfer salt of TTF and TCNQ, marking a significant advance in the field of organic conductors. Following his doctoral studies, Ferraris was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) from 1973 to 1975.Ferraris, J. P., Curriculum Vitae (Archived UT Dallas NanoTech Institute, 2017).

Career

Ferraris joined the chemistry faculty at the

in 1975. He became a full professor in 1992 and served as head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 1995 to 2017. Between 2003 and 2006, he was Interim Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. From 2006 to 2009, he held the Cecil H. and Ida Green Chair in Systems Biology Science. He has authored over 150 publications and holds numerous U.S. patents. Ferraris has collaborated on interdisciplinary research in electroactive polymers, nanomaterials, gas separation membranes, and artificial muscles. He played a key role in the UT Dallas NanoTech Institute, working alongside Alan MacDiarmid, Ray Baughman, and Anvar Zakhidov.Ebron, V. H.; Yang, Z.; Seyer, D. S.; et al. (2006). "Fuel powered artificial muscles". ''Science''. 311 (5767): 1580–1583. doi: 0.1126/science.1121401https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121401).

Research Contributions

Organic Conductors

Ferraris co-authored the 1973 paper reporting high conductivity in the TTF-TCNQ charge-transfer complex. This was the first demonstration of metallic-like conductivity in an organic material and laid the foundation for the field of organic metals and conducting polymers.

Conducting Polymers and Energy Materials

He developed low bandgap conjugated polymers for use in optoelectronic devices and contributed to the design of conductive membranes and polymer-based supercapacitors.Yue, X.; Balkus, K. J.; Ferraris, J. P. (2000). "Novel proton conducting polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cells". ''Electrochimica Acta''. 45 (25–26): 4211–4217. doi: 0.1016/S0013-4686(00)00549-4https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-4686(00)00549-4).

Nanotechnology and Devices

Ferraris co-developed super-tough carbon nanotube fibersDalton, A. B.; Collins, S.; Munoz, E.; et al. (2003). "Super-tough carbon-nanotube fibres". ''Nature''. 423 (6941): 703. doi: 0.1038/423703ahttps://doi.org/10.1038/423703a). and co-invented chemically powered artificial muscles.

Awards and honors

* W.T. Doherty Award (2001), from the American Chemical Society's Dallas–Fort Worth Section.Doherty Award Past Recipients
Dallas–Fort Worth ACS Section. * Cecil H. and Ida Green Chair in Systems Biology Science, held from 2006 to 2009.

Selected publications

* Ferraris, J. P.; Cowan, D. O.; Walatka, V.; Perlstein, J. H. (1973). "Electron transfer in a new highly conducting donor-acceptor complex". ''Journal of the American Chemical Society''. 95 (3): 948–949. doi: 0.1021/ja00784a066https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00784a066). * Dalton, A. B. et al. (2003). "Super-tough carbon-nanotube fibres". ''Nature''. 423: 703. doi: 0.1038/423703ahttps://doi.org/10.1038/423703a). * Ebron, V. H. et al. (2006). "Fuel powered artificial muscles". ''Science''. 311 (5767): 1580–1583. doi: 0.1126/science.1121401https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121401).

References

External links

Faculty profile at UT Dallas

Google Scholar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferraris, John P. Living people American chemists Organic chemists Saint Michael's College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni University of Texas at Dallas faculty 1947 births