Three scientists win Nobel Prize for Chemistry

Three scientists won the Nobel Price in Chemistry yesterday (4) for their work on quantum dots – tiny particles that can release very bright  colored light and are used in electronics and medical imaging. These tiny nanoparticles are so small that their size determines their properties.

The three Nobel laureates for Chemistry this year, Moungi Bawendi of MIT, Louis Brus of Columbia University and Alexei Ekimov of Nano crystals Technology Inc were honored for their work with the particles just a few atoms in diameter described as the smallest components of nanotechnology and that “have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced the award in Stockholm.

“They catalyze chemical reactions and their clear light can illuminate tumor tissue for a surgeon,” the academy said. Quantum dots’ electrons have constrained movement, and this affects how they absorb and release visible light, allowing for very bright colours. Ekimov, 78, and Brus, 80, are early pioneers of the technology, while Bawendi, 62, is credited with revolutionizing the production of quantum dots “resulting in almost perfect particles.

This high quality was necessary for them to be utilized in applications,” the academy said.

“The community realised the implications in the mid 90s, that there could potentially be some real world applications,” Bawendi said.

The Nobel Foundation raised the prize money by 10 percent this year to about US$ one million.

In addition to the money, winners receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.(VD) Picture: Nobel Price laureates, Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov in Stockholm.

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