Pelayo García de Arquer
Head of the Research Group at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
Semiconductor materials, such as silicon, have enabled transformative revolutions in fields from computing and electronic devices to lasers, communications and energy.
Quantum dots are a special type of nanostructured semiconductors where the interaction of electronic charges is highly confined, on nanometer scales. Such confinement allows interactions only at certain energy levels, similar to the different notes of a stringed instrument. This allows manipulation of their physicochemical, optical and electronic properties by controlling the size of these nanoparticles, resulting in a family of semiconductors with a rich and wide range of properties that are easily tunable beyond conventional materials. A clear example is the strong interaction of quantum dots with light, which can be manipulated to absorb and emit light of different colors (along different wavelengths) and in a very pure way.
Bawendi, Brus and Ekimov were the pioneers in the discovery of routes to synthesize these materials, as well as in the study of their properties. Thanks to their seminal work, today we can fabricate these materials by controlling their properties with great precision, down to the atomic scale. This has led to several breakthroughs with impact beyond science.
Quantum dots have found many applications. The programmable reactivity of their surfaces, combined with their optical properties, allows the realization of optical probes with chemical and biological specificity. Their electro-optical properties have enabled the development of laser light sources, displays, sensors and solar panels in a way that would not be possible with traditional materials.
This is a well-deserved recognition - it's about time! My sincere congratulations to the award winners and to all the people who have enabled (and will continue to pursue) historic advances in this field.