FyQ podcast

Hi we are Nadia and Claudia, welcome again to our podcast, living with the
chemistry. So today we are interviewing one of the three winners of this year 2023
chemistry nobel award.
We’re gonna be talking with him about how was the investigation that make him win
this award, we are gonna ask him some questions about the process on how he was
with the 2023 chemistry nobel award with the other two guys that won, the russian
Alexei Ekimov and the french Moungi Bawendy, so please make a drum roll in your
houses to Louis Brus

1. When did you started and how long have you been on researching it?
1. I started this investigation when I was 40 years old, i started it at the middle
of my career so i have been investigating 40 years

2. How did you come up with the idea to investigate quantum dots when you worked at
bell labs in the 1980s? Was it an accident? Or you specifically wanted to
invstigate them?
2. The first day we made the colloid we observed that the spectrum was different
than expected, so we considered it an accident. However, on the second and third
day it was “normal” again. The first time I saw this change I was surprised. So I
started trying to figure out what was going on. So after doing more research I
realized that the property of the particle itself changed when its size was
reduced.

3. What are quantum dots?

3. It is a type of crystal made up of nanoparticles that absorbs light and emits it
depending on the sizes of the particles.

4. The really interesting thing is that the resulting color changes depending on
the size of the particle, so how can you see a quantum dot crystal if its extremely
small?
4. It cannot be seen with an optical microscope because it is smaller than the
wavelength of light. But there are other types of specialized microscopes, such as
electronic microscopes, that allow us to observe it. The method they measured to
demonstrate the differences is to line up a row of glass jars, each with different
bright colors, because each contains quantum dots of different sizes inside.

5. How do you think quantum dots could transform the electronics industry?
5. Quantum dots have the potential to transform the electronics industry by
enabling the creation of brighter and more energy-efficient displays. They could
also be used in the creation of more efficient solar cells and in the detection of
cancer cells.

6. What role do you think quantum dots could play in medicine in the future?
6. In the future, quantum dots could play an important role in medicine by enabling
early disease detection and guiding surgeons during operations. They could also be
used for controlled drug release.

7. What was the biggest challenge you faced during your research?
7. One of the biggest challenges was finding a way to synthesize quantum dots
consistently. It was also difficult to find ways to characterize the quantum dots
and understand how they worked. And lastly I had to give up many things to stay
focused on my investigation

8. What is your advice for young scientists looking to make innovative discoveries
in the field of chemistry?
8. For young scientists looking to make innovative discoveries in the field of
chemistry, my advice is to follow their passion and not be afraid to take risks.
Scientific research is a long and difficult process, but with passion and
perseverance, great discoveries can be made.

Thank you for being here, it was nice knowing a little bit more about your story
and we hope you had a great time here with us

Thank you for having me and i really enjoyed doing this podcast with you

Many times things do not turn out as we think but many times that can help us, like
for example Louis, if that experiment had gone as they thought, he surely would not
have won that Nobel Prize.

Also quantum dots had been the really important topic of this podcast, we find it
very interesting that they can be so beneficial both for medicine and for
controlled drug released.

This was all for today, we hope you enjoyed it and see you next time.
Goodbye little atoms!