Quantum Dot Research Earns Nobel Prize

Over twenty years ago, NS Nanotech's CEO and Co-Founder Seth Coe-Sullivan decided to base his MIT Ph.D. thesis on quantum-dot research he was conducting with the lab of MIT Prof. Moungi Bawendi. At the time, neither of them would have guessed that several decades later Prof. Bawendi would earn a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in the field.

MIT Prof. Moungi Bawendi (photo source: MIT Chemistry Department)

On Oct. 4, the Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry to Prof. Bawendi, Prof. Louis E. Brus of Columbia University, and Alexei I. Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology, Inc. for the discovery and development of quantum dots. "These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, among many other things," the award committee said in its announcement.

When Seth completed his Ph.D. thesis, he teamed up with Prof. Bawendi and others to found QD Vision, the first company to commercialize the use of quantum dots for TV displays and lightbulbs. Samsung later acquired QD Vision and its technology for a new generation of QLED TVs.

Seth, who describes Prof. Bawendi as a humble, soft-spoken genius, was contacted by a Boston Globe reporter when the Nobel Committee announced the honor. In the Globe's story, Seth notes that now, "There’s something like $60 or $80 billion worth of commercialized products that contain quantum dots."

These days, of course, Seth is working here at NS Nanotech to commercialize yet another set of groundbreaking nanotechnologies—nanowire LEDs. And we can't wait to see what the future will bring.