Visible light and nanoparticle catalysts produce desirable bioactive molecules

Date posted
Funding Agency
(Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy)

Chemists at Northwestern University have used visible light and nanoparticles to quickly and simply make molecules that are of the same class as many lead compounds for drug development. The nanoparticles are known as quantum dots – so small they are only a few nanometers across. But the small size is power, providing the material with attractive optical and electronic properties not possible at greater length scales.