Quantum dots (QDs) are small human-made semiconductor particles. Typically, their size goes nothing more than 10 nanometers.
Their tiny size offers them several electronic and optical properties that are hard to find in bulk materials.
Several studies on the element have led to enhanced attention towards the advantages of using these dots. These are being employed in varied fields including, medical, technology, industries, and communications.
Here are some interesting things to be known about QDs.
Computing
These dots have been utilized in developing a promising technology for solid-state quantum computation. The flow of electrons through the QDs can be easily controlled by applying small voltages. This, therefore, helps in making precise measurements of the spin and other properties.
With many entangled quantum dots, also referred to as qubits, along with using specific ways of performing operations, quantum calculations and the computers that will perform them can be made into reality.
Q-LED
QDs are also being seen as having great potential for making lights. Thus, it won’t be completely wrong to say that soon your offices, streets, and homes will be lit by LEDs made using these dots technology.
Studies have produced pieces of evidence that indicate that QDs can create any color of light, including white. Also, they consume very little energy as compared to a regular incandescent lamp that uses more than 30 watts for the same amount of light.
Cellimaging
These dots last longer in the human system and are much brighter than most of the organic dyes and fluorescent proteins which were initially used to illuminate interiors of the cells. Most of the high-resolution techniques only produce images of cellular processes frozen at a specific moment. Therefore, QDs offer an advantage of monitoring the changes in the cell processes.
This is a revolutionary technique to allow medical researches to study cell processes in much more detail and originality.
Targeted drug delivery
QDs are mainly being used to deliver drugs to focused cells in the body. The required drug molecules are attached to the QDs, which are then cluster around the targeted cells and provide the medicine. Thus, it prevents healthy cells in the body from unnecessary medication and harmful side effects.
This technique is increasingly being used in anti-cancer treatments in today’s times. Not only this, but diabetes and treatments of other chronic diseases are also finding the technology more fruitful and efficient.
Laser
A quantum dot laser is simply a semiconductor laser that makes use of these dots as the active laser medium in the light-emitting area. Since the charged elements in QDs are tightly confined, they exhibit a similar structure as that of atoms.
Thus, the laser fabricated from such medium offers device performance closer to gas lasers. In recent times, devices made of quantum laser are finding commercial applications display technologies, medicine, telecommunications, and spectroscopy. By virtue of possessing high speed and wide temperature range, it is also used in optical data transmission systems, metro access systems, and optical LANs.
