Quantum dots at room temp, using lab-designed protein

Quantum dots are normally made in industrial settings with high temperatures and toxic, expensive solvents — a process that is neither economical nor environmentally friendly. But researchers have now pulled off the process at the bench using water as a solvent, making a stable end-product at room temperature. Their work opens the door to making nanomaterials in a more sustainable way by demonstrating that protein sequences not derived from nature can be used to synthesize functional materials.