Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals whose properties can be tuned by their physical size. While Brus and Ekimov independently created quantum dots and linked their nanometre size to their observed optical quantum properties, Bawendi developed the synthesis process, obtaining nanoparticles of uniform size and quality. Quantum dots are now widely employed, for example, in computer and television screens based on the QLED (quantum light emitting diode) technology, or in biochemistry to track cells, and medicine to identify tumour tissue within the body. The discoveries of this year’s Chemistry Nobel Prize Laureates have paved the way for advancements in the field of nanotechnology and still have repercussions not just on the wider research community but also on our society, given the wide applicability of quantum dots.
In this Collection, Nature Portfolio recognizes the achievements of the Laureates in a selection of featured content, articles from the winners, related research papers, and reviews, news and opinion pieces that highlight the development of quantum dots over the past three decades.
This Collection is editorially independent, produced with financial support from a third party. About this content.
Nature Portfolio is pleased to acknowledge financial support from Shoei Chemical, Inc. in producing this collection. The sponsor retains sole responsibility for the following message.
This October, the Nobel Committee for Chemistry rewarded three early quantum dot pioneers for discovering and synthesizing quantum dots in the 1980s and 90s: Louis Brus, Moungi Bawendi, and Alexei Ekimov.
Shoei Chemical, Inc. of Japan recently acquired the quantum dot business from Nanosys, the first company to commercialize quantum dot enhancement film for displays. We owe much to the quantum dot advancements of all three but especially to Dr. Bawendi, who was a scientific co-founder at Nanosys when the company was formed in 2001, and Dr. Brus, who served on Nanosys’ scientific advisory board for many of the company’s early years as it worked to commercialize quantum dots.
Shoei Chemical is completing construction on what will soon be the world’s largest quantum dot manufacturing facility in Itoshima, Japan. The modern quantum dot manufacturing process employed by Shoei Chemical today is a direct descendent of Dr. Bawendi's breakthroughs in the early 1990s.
Over the last decade, industry-leading consumer electronics brands have shipped over 70 million devices in over 1,000 unique products, from tablets to monitors and TVs, based on the work of these three brilliant scientists and many others who joined them in perfecting quantum dot chemistry. They have made the world brighter and more vibrant. For that, we would like to say thank you and congratulations!
