The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Aleksey Yekimov for the discovery and development of quantum dots. These tiny particles, which are just a few nanometers in diameter, have unique properties that make them useful in a wide variety of applications.
Quantum dots are semiconductor nanoparticles that emit light when they are excited with electricity. The color of the light that they emit depends on their size, and they can be tuned to emit any color of the visible spectrum. This makes them ideal for use in displays, such as televisions and computer monitors. Quantum dots are also used in solar cells, where they can convert sunlight into electricity more efficiently than silicon-based solar cells.
In quantum-confined semiconductor nanostructures, electrons exhibit distinctive behavior compared with that in bulk solids. This enables the design of materials with tunable chemical, physical, electrical, and optical properties. Zero-dimensional semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) offer strong light absorption and bright narrowband emission across the visible and infrared wavelengths and have been engineered to exhibit optical gain and lasing. These properties are of interest for imaging, solar energy harvesting, displays, and communications.
In addition to their optical properties, quantum dots also have unique chemical properties. They can be used as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions, and they can also be used to deliver drugs to specific cells in the body. These properties make quantum dots an important tool for nanotechnology and medicine.
The discovery of quantum dots was a breakthrough in nanotechnology. Bawendi, Brus, and Yekimov’s work has led to the development of a wide variety of new technologies that are now used in everyday life. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is a well-deserved recognition of their groundbreaking work.