Quantum dots are nanoscale crystalline particles that act as semiconductors. When exposed to UV light, they emit energy in the form of light, and the size of the quantum dot determines the color it emits.
“So by tuning the particle’s size, you can essentially tune its optical properties,” says Mark Snyder, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering (ChBE) in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. “Which makes them interesting materials to use in applications like bioimaging.”