 "Nobel Prize in Chemistry")
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Wednesday announced that scientists Moungi G Bawendi, Louis E Brus, and Alexei I Ekimov have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots".
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 rewards the discovery and development of quantum dots, nanoparticles so small that their size determines their properties. "These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, among many other things," it said.
Ekimov played an instrumental role in producing size-dependent quantum effects in coloured glass. The colour came from nanoparticles of copper chloride. Ekimov showed that the particle size affected the colour of the glass through quantum effects. Louis Brus was the first scientist in the world to prove size-dependent quantum effects in particles floating freely in a fluid.
Bawendi's methods led to momentous changes in the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles, the academy stated in a media release.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is the third to be awarded this week. On Tuesday, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L'Huillier were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for "experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter".
The Nobel Prizes in Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences will be announced by October 9.
