Alexey Ekimov

Alexey Ekimov or Aleksey Yekimov solid state physicist and a pioneer in nanomaterials research. He discovered the semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots in 1981, while working at the Vavilov State Optical Institute. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery.

Life

Early years and education Ekimov was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1945. When the glasses were heated and then cooled, copper chloride crystals formed, as revealed by X-rays,

In 1981, Ekimov, along with Alexei A. Onushchenko, reported the discovery of quantum size effects in copper chloride nanocrystals in glass, a phenomenon known now known as quantum dots. During his time at the institute he further investigated these system and developed the theory of quantum confinement with Alexander Efros.

Since 1999, Ekimov has been living and working in the United States as a scientist for Nanocrystals Technology, a company based in New York State.

Honors and awards Ekimov was awarded the 1975 USSR State Prize in Science and Engineering for work on electron spin orientation in semiconductors.

Ekimov, Brus and Moungi Bawendi were the recipients of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots".

Selected publications