December 2021    
         
         
 
     
  Small tech, big plans  
     
  This fall we welcomed Paul Alivisatos, AB’81, as the 14th president of the University of Chicago. In addition to the responsibility of leading an institution of higher learning, Alivisatos will continue his research in nanoscience as the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.  
     
  Matters of scale  
     
 
Paul Alivisatos
 
 
     
  Paul Alivisatos returns home. (Photography by Jason Smith)  
     
 
     
  Paul Alivisatos’s groundbreaking scientific work includes studying the characteristics and behavior of nanocrystals, then designing and building them with a level of control never previously achieved.  
     
 
  Nanocrystals are smaller than a micron across, but you can watch them grow using a special type of electron microscope.  
 
       
  The value and versatility of nanocrystals are partly owing to their size. The appearance and behavior of a substance—its density, color, melting point, conductivity—depend on chemical composition; however, at very small scales, that same substance acts differently. Nanoscale crystals have distinctive electrical, optical, structural, thermodynamic, and magnetic properties.  
     
  Learn more about President Alivisatos and his work with nanocrystals.  
     
 
 
  Crystal clear  
     
 
     
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Alivisatos tells his life story through a crystal lens.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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Semiconductor nanocrystals—or quantum dots—are used in biological imaging, renewable energy, and ultra-efficient LED displays.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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To prevent nanocrystals from sticking together, chemists coat them with “hair.”
 
     
     
 
         
         
    Spotlight    
         
         
 
     
  In living color  
     
 
video of chameleon
 
 
     
  A male chameleon changes color when another adult male is in sight.  
     
 
     
  Nanocrystals play a significant role in technology and can be engineered to achieve desired effects. But they can also be found in nature: scientists have discovered that nanocrystals are the secret ingredient that enables chameleons to change color.  
     
     
     
  In case you missed it  
     
 
 
 
Bioinspired: Nature is full of inspiration for synthetic materials.
 
 
Monster matters: Nature is full of wondrous, cryptic creatures.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
  Support UChicago physical sciences.  
     
 
     
 
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