Hideki Shirakawa, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry for Conductive Polymers, Dies at 90
Japanese scientist Hideki Shirakawa, a co-winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on conductive polymers, has died at the age of 90. He passed away at a hospital in Yokohama, west of Tokyo.
Detroit, MI, September 3, 2026 — Hideki Shirakawa, a distinguished Japanese scientist and co-recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has died at the age of 90. His passing occurred at a hospital located in Yokohama, a city situated west of Tokyo.
Shirakawa was recognized globally for his groundbreaking research on conductive polymers. This pioneering work fundamentally advanced the understanding and application of materials that possess electrical conductivity, a property typically associated with metals rather than plastics. His contributions paved the way for a new class of materials with potential applications across various technological fields.
The 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Hideki Shirakawa, Alan J. Heeger, and Alan G. MacDiarmid for their discovery and development of conductive polymers. Their research demonstrated that polymers, which are typically insulators, could be made to conduct electricity, opening up entirely new avenues for scientific exploration and material science innovation. This discovery led to the development of organic semiconductors, which have since found use in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, and sensors.
The specific details surrounding the cause of death or the exact date of his passing were not provided. Shirakawa’s legacy in the field of materials science is significant, marking him as a pivotal figure whose scientific endeavors have had a lasting impact on chemistry and physics.
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