Work

When grains of matter become very small – when they shrink to nano-dimensions – quantum phenomena arise. Such particles are called quantum dots. In 1981, Aleksey Yekimov succeeded in creating size-dependent quantum effects in coloured glass. The colour came from nanoparticles of copper chloride and Yekimov demonstrated that the particle size affected the colour of the glass via quantum effects. Quantum dots are used in electronics, including computer and television screens as well as LED lamps. They can also be used to map biological tissue.