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TEXTO III 

Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to 3 Scientists for Exploring the Nanoworld1 

Three pioneering scientists, Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov, have been honored with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work on quantum dots, which are semiconductor particles small enough to significantly alter their electron behavior. These quantum dots, comprising only a few thousand atoms, have applications ranging from enhancing LED lights to potential advancements in solar cells and quantum information encryption.

Semiconductors, essential in powering our modern electronics, traditionally consist of large molecular-level crystals. However, quantum dots are vastly smaller. To provide perspective, the Nobel Foundation likened the size difference between a quantum dot and a soccer ball to that between a soccer ball and the Earth.

These nanoscale dots are now utilized in LED lights to refine color and in televisions to improve resolution. Additionally, they hold potential in the biomedical field, such as in cancer tissue removal. Despite initial skepticism regarding the feasibility of creating such __________________ minuscule particles, this year’s laureates prevailed. Their achievement, particularly Bawendi’s method for crafting specific size, highquality nanoparticles, has propelled technological applications like QLED screens and various imaging in biochemistry and medicine.

However, the announcement of this year's laureates was surrounded by unusual circumstances. Before the official statement from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Swedish media sources leaked the information, citing an email mistakenly sent early from the Academy.

About the winners: Dr. Bawendi, a professor at MIT and a former postdoc under Dr. Brus, was born in France. Dr. Brus, a professor emeritus at Columbia University, was born in the U.S. Dr. Ekimov, once the chief scientist at Nanocrystals Technology in New York, was born in the former Soviet Union.

Their achievements in the realm of nanotechnology have enabled the exploration of distinct properties of extremely small matter, and have had profound implications in various technological domains. Their efforts in the 1980s, which led to the creation of quantum dots, needed further refinement before technological applications could be realized. Their work is regarded as monumental in bridging theoretical concepts with real-world applications. According to the American Chemical Society’s president, Judith Giordan, their discoveries are not just of academic interest but aim to benefit humanity at large.

Upon winning the prize, Dr. Bawendi expressed surprise and honor, emphasizing the significance of sharing the award with his mentor, Dr. Brus. Other notable winners this year include Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their contributions to Covid-19 vaccine development in the Physiology or Medicine category, and Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier in Physics.

(Adapted from "Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to 3 Scientists for Exploring the Nanoworld" by Emma Bubola and Katrina Miller, Oct. 04, 2023)

1 Fonte: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/04/science/nobelprize-chemistry.html . Acesso em: 04 de outubro de 2023.