NOBEL
PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY - SCI & TECH
News:
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
2023 awarded to three quantum dot scientists
What's
in the news?
●
The 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry was
awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E.
Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
These nanoparticles have wide-ranging applications across fields like
electronics, advanced surgery, and quantum computing.
Quantum
Dots:
●
Quantum dots are tiny particles, in the range of a few nanometers.
●
Because of their small size, they have distinctive optical characteristics.
Their structure and atomic composition are the same as bulk materials, but the
properties of quantum dots depend on the size.
●
Altering the size of quantum dots can
change their characteristics, they have different colours according to their
size.
●
Due to the dominance of quantum physical
forces at the nanoscale, materials and particles are capable of exhibiting
novel, size-dependent properties. On the other hand, gravity and classical
physics' laws rule at the macroscopic scale, just as they do in our daily
lives.
●
Quantum dots are thus bringing the
greatest benefit to humankind. Researchers believe that in the future they
could contribute to flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells and
encrypted quantum communication – so we have just started exploring the
potential of these tiny particles.
Applications
of Quantum Dots:
●
To light
computer monitors, television screens, LEDs. More colours and brightness
result from combining the colours.
●
Biochemists can map biological tissues using nanoscale-sized quantum dots.
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To increase the efficiency and absorption
of converting solar energy into electricity, quantum dots are also used in photovoltaic cells.
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Some cancer
treatments use Quantum dots for targeted drug delivery and other
therapeutic procedures. In the area of nanomedicine, this has additional uses.
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Quantum dots can be used as security markers on money and
documents.
●
They can be used to tag and track objects in general as fluorescent markers.