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Background:
- An element’s properties are fundamentally determined by the number of electrons it possesses.
- However, when matter reaches nanoscale dimensions, its characteristics become intricately linked to its size.
- Smaller particles experience a greater compression of electrons, which has a profound impact on their properties.
- This phenomenon arises because, at the nanometer scale, quantum physical forces take precedence, while in the macroscopic realm, gravity and classical physics govern.
- Particles whose behaviour is dictated by their size are known as quantum dots.
About:
- Quantum dots are minuscule particles measuring only a few nanometers in width.
- They possess distinct optical attributes due to their diminutive size.
- Despite sharing the same structural and atomic composition as bulk materials, the properties of quantum dots are intrinsically tied to their size.
Idea about the Existence of Such Particles:
- In theory, the concept of such particles had long been within the realm of scientific understanding.
- By the 1970s, physicists were aware that the optical properties of glass could be altered by introducing trace amounts of other elements, such as gold, silver, cadmium, sulfur, or selenium.
- While they had some knowledge of how and why these modifications occurred, the synthesis of quantum dots as discrete entities had not yet been achieved at that time.