The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry are Moungi Bawendi, Louis E Brus and Alexey Ekimov for their discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. The prize is worth SEK 11 million (approximately $1 million at the time of publication), which will be divided equally among the three winners.
Quantum dots are nanoparticles, small crystals containing only a few thousand atoms, where quantum effects begin to manifest. These particles can be visualized by placing them in colloidal solutions, where they glow in different colors. The size of the quantum dots and the way in which the electrons are packed inside them determine the colors they emit, which range from blue to red, depending on the wavelength of light.
Although they are made of the same material, their size changes their properties. These include color, electrical and thermal properties, and even melting point. These quantum dots have properties that lie between semiconductors used in electronics and discrete atoms or molecules.
There are many applications for these materials that can be tailored by changing their dimensions. For example, they can be used in photovoltaic devices to absorb solar energy or as dyes in biology to visualize the vasculature of a tumor. Many other applications are being explored in LEDs, lasers, light sources, medical imaging, antibiotics, fast-charging electronics, quantum computing and more. During the press conference, Moungi Bawendi said he does not know what the future holds for quantum dots, but emphasized that it is an exciting field of research.
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