Scientists have discovered a new way to make tiny semiconductor crystals, known as quantum dots, use sunlight more efficiently to power chemical reactions. Quantum dots are incredibly small crystals—thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. The Los Alamos team found a way around this obstacle by introducing manganese atoms into the quantum dots. This creates a new reaction pathway that does not exist in ordinary quantum dots. They found that manganese-doped quantum dots transferred electrons much faster than regular quantum dots.