Chemistry Nobel for quantum dots
Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots, nanoparticles so small that their size determines their properties.
Quantum dots find use in LED lights and television screens, and can guide surgeons as they remove cancer tissue.
While Brus and Ekimov created quantum dots independently in the 1980s, Bawendi significantly improved their quality making their practical use possible.
As per the explanatory diagram on a post on Twitter by the Nobel Prize, “Quantum dots absorb light and then emit it at another wavelength. Its colour depends on the size of the particle.”
