Monday, January 26, 2026-Louis E. Brus, an American chemist whose groundbreaking work helped launch the age of nanotechnology, has died at the age of 82 in Hastings‑on‑Hudson, New York. Brus was best known for his pioneering discovery and detailed study of quantum dots, tiny semiconductor particles whose unique properties change depending on their size.
These nanoparticles have become foundational in fields from advanced displays and solar technology to biomedical imaging and future quantum applications, transforming how scientists manipulate the nanoworld. In 2023, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with his colleagues for this transformative work.
Brus spent much of his career bridging physics and chemistry to explore how matter behaves at scales thousands of times smaller than a human hair. His identification of the relationship between particle size and electronic properties provided the framework for understanding and applying quantum size effects, influencing research far beyond his original findings. Over decades in research and teaching including at Columbia University he mentored students and collaborated with other leading scientists in the nanoscience community.
Colleagues and peers remember Brus as a meticulous experimentalist and a visionary thinker whose insights opened new directions in both basic science and practical technology. His contributions helped cement nanotechnology as a major scientific frontier, with ripple effects across electronics, medicine, materials science, and energy research. With his passing, the scientific community mourns a leader whose work not only expanded human knowledge but continues to shape the technologies of tomorrow.
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