Quantum Dots Earn Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Advancing TV Screen Technology

The Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to three scientists for their work in developing quantum dots. Quantum dots are tiny crystals that can be found in QLED TV sets and are responsible for creating color. They are also used in medical imaging, cancer drug targeting, and solar panels. The winners, Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov, will share the 11m Swedish krona prize. Unfortunately, their names were accidentally released in a press release from Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences before the official announcement. The Academy expressed regret and insisted that the final decision on the winners was made just before the announcement. In a phone call with the Academy, Bawendi said he was honored and shocked by the news. Quantum dots are extremely small, with their size determining the color of light they emit. Ekimov is credited with first discovering quantum dots, while Brus realized their potential floating in fluid. Bawendi developed a method for creating the particles more easily. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences believes that quantum dots have the potential to benefit humankind in various ways, including flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells, and encrypted quantum communication.