MIMICKING the way sea snails make mother-of-pearl has led to a new way of
making “quantum dots”, tiny clusters of semiconducting material that could
create a new generation of lasers.
Quantum dots can trap just one or two electrons. These confined electrons can
easily be persuaded to emit light.
But making structures tiny enough to imprison just a few electrons is
tough—though it comes naturally to the abalone sea snail. The creatures
make mother-of-pearl by secreting proteins that stack grains of calcium
carbonate in a super-strong brick-like orientation that is 3000 times stronger
than the calcium carbonate formed without…
