BASF Investing In Quantum Dots

BASF is investing $4 million in Lexington, Mass.-based quantum dot developer QD Vision. Quantum dots are inorganic particles that emit light by confining excited electrons, making for more colorful liquid-crystal displays. “The fact that current standard LCD technology is capable of displaying only around a third of the colors a human eye can see indicates the improvement potential in the field,” says Jeff Knight, a BASF executive responsible for the company’s electronics specialties business. BASF and QD Vision will also collaborate on quantum-dot-enhanced backlight and color filters for LCDs. Dow Chemical has also been developing quantum dots using technology it licensed from the British firm Nanoco.