When Prof. Dmitri Talapin entered the field of colloid chemistry, quantum dot inks for virtual reality displays and heat-sensing cameras seemed far-off dreams.
“The chemistry of colloidal nanomaterials as a field have advanced tremendously from empirical know-hows and simple theoretical concepts that I remember when I joined this area as a grad student,” Talapin said. “Now it’s a rigorous science backed by the recent Nobel Prize, which created mainstream consumer products such as quantum dot TVs, and has many other new technologies in the pipeline.”
The American Chemical Society (ACS) recently named Talapin, the Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME), the Chemistry Department and the James Franck Institute, the 2026 recipient of the ACS Award in Colloid Chemistry, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive.
“The fact that I was picked to represent the community – our community – is a great honor,” Talapin said.
UChicago PME Dean Nadya Mason said the selection was well-deserved.
“Dmitri Talapin is an incredible scientist and innovator who works across disciplines,” she said. “His quantum dot work has opened novel frontiers in synthesizing nanocrystals as well as startups creating jobs and growth in the Midwest. His interdisciplinary work across UChicago has led to breakthroughs in areas including biosensors and digital displays.”
Talapin said two major innovations helped bring new capabilities to colloid chemistry over the last few years – table salt and DOLFINs.
“About eight years ago, we discovered a whole new class of colloidal systems, namely colloidal dispersions in molten inorganic salts,” he said. “You can make colloidal solutions in liquid sodium chloride – table salt – which may sound weird and esoteric, but it turned out to be a very practical solution towards synthesizing materials that we had been trying to make for 30 years.”
Another recent innovation that brought attention to colloid chemistry was direct optical lithography of functional inorganic nanomaterials, DOLFIN for short.
“This is a technology that allows patterning colloidal particles for different devices, for displays, for detectors, for optical coatings and diffraction gratings and many other elements,” Talapin said. “Pretty soon, in your smartphone, there will be another camera on the back using quantum dots to record images in infrared or eliminate haze and get better images in foggy or low-light environments. Self-driving cars will be using even further infrared detectors that can see light emitted by a human or animal body because they are warm. Recent breakthroughs are using quantum dots to create more powerful solar panels, so big solar cells companies are moving that way. Colloid chemistry is a big, big enterprise, growing in many different directions. It’s an exciting time for the field.”
All recipients of ACS national awards will be honored at an award ceremony on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in conjunction with ACS Spring 2026 Meeting in Atlanta. There will also be a Symposium for this award during ACS Fall 2026 Meeting in Chicago.