Bawendi, Brus, Ekimov Share 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

On Wednesday, scientists Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on quantum dots.

The quantum dots are widely used to establish the massive color ballets for screens, and LED-lit devices that are used in surgeries. 

The committee of the prize revealed that the three scientists "added colour to nanotechnology" and their results would greatly benefit various fields.

It said in a statement: "Researchers believe that in the future they could contribute to flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells and encrypted quantum communication."

Earlier on Wednesday, the academy accidentally published the names of the prize winners before the official announcement.

Bawendi expressed in the press conference about winning the prize that he was "very surprised, sleepy, shocked, unexpected and very honored."

"There's a lot of work that's still being heavily researched on other potential applications including catalysis and quantum effects of all sorts," Bawendi told a news conference. "It's a very exciting area of research. I'm sure something really interesting is going to come out this."

In the early 1980s, Ekimov discovered that the colour of glass changes with the size of copper chloride molecules contained in it and that sub-atomic forces were at play.