Quantum Dots and the Infrared Spectrum

 


Quantum dots. They were awarded the 2023 Nobel prize in chemistry. They have a huge variety of uses, from displays and LED lights, to bioimaging and chemical reaction catalysts.  The semiconductor nano crystals are very small. So small, in fact, that their properties, like color, are size dependent, and they begin to show some quantum properties. This technology is well-developed, but only to the visible spectrum. There are big opportunities for technology to grow in both the ultraviolet and infrared Areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. 

Research was published in Nature Synthesis showing that  the University of Illinois’s  bioengineering professor Andrew Smith and Wonseok Lee have developed mercury selenide (HgSe) and mercury cadmium selenide (HgCdSe). These nanocrystals absorb and emit in the infrared spectrum. They are made from already developed  visible spectrum Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) precursors. These new nano crystals keep the properties of the parent CdSe including uniformity, size and shape. 

“ This is the first example of infrared quantum dots that are At the same level of quality as the ones in the visible spectrum,” Smith says. 

Nanotechnology has been available for nearly 50 years. However, only nanocrystals that work in the visible Portion of the spectrum have been noticeably advanced

“ They’re a big part of display devices and a big part of any technology that is light absorbing or light emitting. There’s just been an intrinsic push to develop a technology that has the biggest market at the end of the day.” reports Smith. 

To create light absorption and emission in the infrared, heavier elements that are lower on The periodic table must be used. These elements are difficult to work with because of the side reactions and less than predictable reactions! They  are also prone to segregation and are vulnerable to changes in the environment,  like water.

Quantum dots can be made from elemental super conductors, like silicon or they can be binary or Ternary. Mixing two elements can make many different effects. Mixing three elements can create exponentially more effects.

Quantum dots have many applications. One of them is the use as molecular probes for imaging. They can be put into biological systems and scan tissues. Since most quantum dots emit in the visible spectrum, only emissions on the surface of the skin can be detected. Biology uses the infrared, therefore deeper tissues can be probed. 

Mice are often used to quantify most diseases, and Smith explained that with quantum dots that emit in the infrared, researchers would be able to see through a living mouse to view its make up and the locations of specific molecules throughout the body

This could change the future of medicine, without having to sacrifice rodents and potentially change pre-clinical drug manufacturing forever!!!!!!! 

Hugs,

Krissy 


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