Current research activities involve the design and fabrication of photonic crystals in optical and MW bands for various device applications as low threshold PBG-lasers, optical switches, super-prisms for WDM, etc. Advanced nanostructured thermoelectric materials and devices. Tunable photonic crystals based on electro-active materials: new carbon forms, conducting polymers and ferroelectrics, particularly for applications in optoelectronics and microwave antennas. Carbon nanotube synthesis and studies for applications, such as actuators, electronic and multifunctional materials. Development of organic electronics devices, particularly OLEDs (organic light emitting displays), organic FETs, molecular and polymeric lasers. During his scientific career he has been awarded and honored by: Fellowship of Ministry of Science, Education and Culture, Japan (1990-1991, and 1994); Fellowship of Italian Consortia "Phyzika Materiali", Genova (1992-1993); Fellowship of the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (1996).

Main accomplishments, include among others, the prediction and experimental discovery of the photo-induced charge transfer from fullerene C60 to conjugated polymers, a photo-chemical process, that is now widely used for plastic photocells. He also synthesized first complexes of fullerenes with conducting polymers and alkali metals (and published a chapter in Springer book on their superconductivity). Zakhidov obtained one of first results (widely cited) on isotope-effect in C13 substituted fullers, and did pioneering work on synthesis and study of TDAE-C60 organic Ferro magnets.