Technologies operating at the nanoscale (10-9 meter level) enable the manipulation of materials at the atomic and molecular levels, allowing precise control over their properties, such as conductivity, strength, and reactivity. This capability supports the development of new, improved, and application-specific materials.
Nanotechnology is grounded in principles from micro-engineering and materials sciences, and its integration with tools like artificial intelligence (AI) has expanded its applications and relevance across industries.
Applications of Nanotechnology in Manufacturing
The fields of manufacturing and precision engineering have advanced significantly with the adoption of nanotechnology. The molecular-level precision it offers, alongside innovations in materials processing, has accelerated both manufacturing and product development.
In CNC machining, nanotechnology contributes to improved surface finish, extended product lifespan, and reduced wear on components. Leading companies, such as Ben Machine Products—prominent in defense and aerospace manufacturing—have integrated nanotechnology into their fabrication assembly lines.
Nano-lubricants are now also used in manufacturing, providing superior lubrication to machine components. These advanced lubricants help lower maintenance costs and minimize waste generation during production.3
Additionally, nanometer-thick coatings are increasingly valuable in industrial applications, as demonstrated by companies like BI State Rubber. These coatings offer enhanced protection against heat and UV radiation and provide improved adhesive properties during manufacturing.4 With ongoing advancements in smart nano-coatings, substantial growth in this market sector is anticipated.
Nanotechnology is also pivotal in accelerating the discovery and development of advanced materials for manufacturing.
For instance, Dutch startup VSParticle recently secured €6.5 million in funding to further its nanotechnology-based tools, which significantly reduce material development time from a decade to approximately 12-14 months.5 Its comprehensive platform includes prototyping, automated material generation tools, and an integrated computational setup that accelerates new material discovery, including for green hydrogen. This system also reduces costs, particularly when working with scarce metals like iridium.
A science that studies the possibility of changing matter at the nanoscale to produce new materials or advanced devices to serve human interests in various fields.
The study of very small things and the applications in which they are used.
The study of structures that are in size between 1 to 100 nm.
Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the field of electronics, especially computers, telecommunications, and optics. The main aim in this area is to understand nanoscale rules and mechanisms to implement new ICT (Information and Communication Technology) systems that are more economic, portable, and dependable.
Nano-sized particles of carbon like nanotubes and buckyballs are composed of only carbon and are extraordinarily strong. Bulletproof vests made from carbon nanotubes that weigh the same as a regular t-shirt are a prime example that showcases the strength of nanoparticles. The source of this phenomenal strength is the special characteristics of the bonds between carbon atoms. Nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are used in many sunscreens to block UV radiation more effectively.
Nanotechnology may offer new ways of working for electronics. The use of this technology improves display screens on electronic devices while reducing power consumption and the weight and thickness of screens.
Communication systems based on nanotechnology are discovering new materials on the nanometer scale expected to play a vital role in future challenges in the field of communication systems such as
- Devices of ultra-high-speed for long and short-range communications links
- Power-efficient computing devices
- High-density memory and logic and ultra-fast interconnect.
Quantum Dot LEDs (QLEDs)
The most promising optoelectronic materials of the next-generation displays are the quantum dots as they have remarkable physical characteristics and are both electroactive (electroluminescent) and photo-active (photoluminescent). There is no doubt they will be at the core of next-generation displays. Lower consumption of power, lower cost of manufacturing, longer lifetime, and purer colors are possessed by the QD-based materials, as compared to the organic luminescent materials that the OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) utilize.
Quantum dot display another major benefit is that one can get displays of all kinds of sizes, rollable, flexible, and printable because quantum dot displays can be virtually deposited on any substrate. A passive matrix quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) display is displayed by the researchers, for instance, completely integrated with the flexible electronics.
OLETs and OLEDs
OLET gives planar light sources which are capable of being easily integrated into different nature’s substrates like paper, plastic, glass, silicon, etc. by utilizing standard microelectronic methods as it is a new and latest light-emission concept. OLETs (Organic light-emitting transistors) are planar, alternative light sources joining the electroluminescent device and thin-films transistor switching mechanism in the same architecture. Therefore, a new era can be opened by the organic light-emitting transistors in organic optoelectronics and they can function as the testbeds for addressing general fundamental photonic and optoelectronic problems.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are extremely valuable for various applications in practical life. The phenomenon that light is emitted by some particular organic materials when they are fed with an electric current is what the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology is based on. It’s utilized already in small electronic device displays on TV screens, digital cameras, MP3 players, and mobile phones. Making organic large-scale solar cells, windows that can be utilized at night time as light source, and extremely power-saving, bright, and ultra-flat OLED televisions are cheaper and more efficient and effective OLED technologies.
An organic compound’s thin film makes up the OLED’s emissive electroluminescent layer as compared to the regular LEDs. OLEDs don’t need a backlight for functioning and thus need less power for operating, all of which make OLEDs extremely attractive. They can be printed on almost all substrates because they are thinner as compared to regular LEDs. Nanoparticles-based coatings and Transparent electrodes are the areas where the nanofabrication methods and nanomaterials are utilized in OLED manufacturing. Nanoparticles-based coatings are used for protecting the OLEDs from damage from the environment by packing the OLEDs (water for instance). OLED fabrication problems can also be solved by nanoparticle-based deposition methods.
A brand new concept of OLEDs with some nanometer of graphene as a transparent conductor has been recently developed by the researchers, which opened the path for OLEDs’ cost-effective mass production on a flexible, low-cost, large-area, plastic substrate which is capable of being rolled up like wallpaper and apply virtually to any place you want. OLED brightness and efficiency are still limited by the photon loss and exciton quenching processes
Electronic paper
Light is reflected like an ordinary paper by the electronic paper, unlike a conventional flat panel display which illuminates its pixels by utilizing a power-consuming backlight. The electronic paper can indefinitely hold images and texts without drawing any electricity, while later allowing the changing of the image. The prime example of the electronic paper category is electrophoretic displays as they can be made on flexible, thin substrates and have a paper-like appearance. There is already commercial usage of the electrophoretic displays, for instance, mostly the displays are white and black in the Sony Reader or the Kindle. The color displays still have some quality and cost problems. It is shown by the researchers of nanotechnology that enhanced electronic ink fabrication technology is provided by the organic ink nanoparticles, leading to an e-paper with a lower cost of manufacturing, good contrast ratio, and high brightness.
Field Emission Displays
Carbon nanotubes are now being used by researchers for creating a new class of low-cost, high-resolution, large-area flat panel displays. According to some researchers, the biggest challenge to the dominance of an LCD in the panel display arena will be the field emission display (FED) technology, which uses CNT (carbon nanotubes) as an electron emitter. They also believe that FED is the technology for wide-screen, high-definition televisions.
In a sense, FEDs are a hybrid of LCD televisions and CRT televisions. They capitalize on the famous cathode-anode-phosphor technology made into the full-sized CRTs by utilizing this with the LCDs’ dot-matrix cellular construction. Cold cathodes individually control the electron emitters, organized in a grid for generating the colored light (whereas the field emission doesn’t depend on the cathode’s heating for boiling off the electrons. The thin panel of the LCDs (liquid crystal displays) today makes the field emission display technology possible, providing a broader field-of-view, giving the CRT (cathode ray tube) displays of today a high image quality, and needing less power as compared to the CRT displays of today.
Nanotechnology has introduced notable improvements in the electronics industry, enhancing device performance and efficiency. The use of nanomaterials has enabled miniaturization of electronic components without compromising functionality.
Nano-fabrication advancements have also reduced transistor size, allowing transistors to be built on a semiconductor platform just a few nanometers wide. This development supports the production of more energy-efficient transistors and semiconductors, fostering progress in smart electronics.
IBM has made substantial advancements in electronics and semiconductors through the strategic use of nanotechnology. From identifying in 1993 that single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can conduct electricity about 70 times faster than silicon to recent applications of nanostructures for early cancer detection, IBM has leveraged nanotechnology to develop faster, more reliable electronic components, with diverse applications in various industries.
Nanotechnology in Modern Healthcare and Medicine
Nanotechnology-based tools have become integral to modern healthcare and biomedicine. The application of nanotechnology in cancer diagnosis, targeted drug delivery, and pharmaceutical manufacturing has contributed to substantial improvements in treatment quality and patient outcomes. This integration has led to the emergence of nanomedicine, a field dedicated to advanced diagnostics, disease prevention, and efficient drug synthesis.
Programmed nanomachines and nanorobots are enhancing medical precision, allowing procedures at the sub-cellular level. Their expanding role in diagnostics supports disease prediction and helps the regulation of treatment options.
Nanotechnology is emerging as a critical technology for bone regeneration. Researchers are developing bone graft methods for bone repair and muscle restructuring. Recent advancements focus on biomineralization, collagen fibers, and the creation of artificial muscles and joints, aiming to significantly advance osteology and bone tissue engineering.
In drug delivery, nanoscale techniques enhance drug stability and pharmacokinetics. Nanorobots play a pivotal role by navigating the circulatory system to deliver drugs precisely to targeted sites.
Researchers are also exploring surgical applications of wireless nanorobots to treat specific diseases. These nanobots operate at a scale fine enough to enable targeted drug delivery and even cut a single neuronal dendrite without damaging the surrounding neuronal networks.
Advanced nanoscale techniques are also advancing regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Lattice Medical, founded in 2017 and specializing in tissue engineering, biomaterials, and 3D printing, utilizes specialized nanotechnological solutions to develop innovative implants for reconstructive surgery.
Japan Tissue Engineering Company also provides specialized systems for regenerative medicine,14 while BioTissue has made significant strides in the field by developing innovative products using amniotic membrane tissues.15 To date, BioTissue’s products have been used to treat over 900,000 patients, underscoring the positive impact of nanotechnology in healthcare and biomedicine.
Nano Communication and Networks
Nano communications are the area of research for finding efficient means of communication for future nanodevices. (“Nano-scale and Quantum Communication Networks”) These devices are planned to have a wide range of application areas. A nanomachine is described as a mechanical device that relies on nanometer-scale parts.
The term nuclear machine is known for a mechanical device that plays out an accommodating limit using fragments of nanometer-scale and a subnuclear structure, conveying, processing, information, detecting, or potentially activating other systems.
Nano communications are divided into two main streams
- EM nano communications
- Molecular nano communications
EM-based nano communication uses electromagnetic waves as information carriers similar to classical methods. This method cannot be directly applied to nanodomain due to the extreme scarcity of resources and techniques that need to be utilized. CNTs are the most famous and promising material for nano communications. Molecular communication is the natural communication technique used by living organisms and is envisioned to become an available method for future nanodevices. The concentration of the molecule in proximity to the receiver may be used to understand the molecular bit sent by the transmitter.
Some other Nanotechnology Applications
Nanotechnology is utilized in all scientific areas including engineering, materials science, biology, physics, and chemistry. Nanochemists are now working in product synthesis, polymer chemistry, medical organic chemistry, and other fields. They depend on different and a lot of options to prepare and make nanomaterials with the chemical, photochemical, magnetic, and electronic characteristics. One can interpret and explain their mechanical system within the nanoscale i.e. the infinitesimal space. They are the chips that are utilized in manufacturing all electrical and electronic devices like CPUs, and computers for instance.
Nanotechnology is utilized in various polymeric nanofilms like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and electronic devices like digital cameras, television, mobile phones, computers, and laptops. Many industrial and technological sectors are being enhanced and revolutionized with the help of nanotechnology. Clear nanoscale films on the windows, camera displays, computer displays, eyeglasses, and other surfaces can turn them electrically conductive, scratch-resistant, antimicrobial, anti fog, resistant towards infrared or ultraviolet light, self-cleaning, anti reflective, and residue- and water-repellent.
Nanobiotechnology
The implementation of nanotechnologies in the biological fields is nanobiotechnology. Nanotechnology is viewed by biologists, physicists, and chemists as a branch of their collaborations and subject. One result of nanotechnology’s hybrid field is that it utilizes biological design principles, biological starting materials, or possesses medical or biological applications. Nanotechnology can have a very important role in the development and implementation of various useful tools in the study of life whereas biotechnology deals with the metabolic and other physiological processes of the biological subjects, for instance, microorganisms. Nanomaterials’ integration with biology has resulted in developing drug-delivery vehicles, therapy, analytical tools, contrast agents, and diagnostic devices.
Nanotechnology in Electronics (Nanoelectronics)
Nanotechnology is like a toolkit for the electronics industry, and it gives us tools that allow us to make nanomaterials with special properties modified by ultra-fine particle size and crystalline structure. Nanoelectronics can be described as the application of nanotechnology in electronic devices, especially transistors. Although the term nanotechnology means using technology less than 100 nanometers in size, nanoelectronics can also refer to very small transistors. Nanoelectronics can improve display screens on electronic devices and revolutionize the industry enabling developers to overcome traditional technological constraints that limit product weight, power consumption, and size.
Nanotechnology is positioned to make a significant impact across industries, especially in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and electronics. However, challenges such as addressing nanomaterial toxicity in the human body, creating efficient nano-catalysts, and advancing chip manufacturing for room-temperature quantum computing remain areas for further research.
The use of nanotechnology to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also widely acknowledged. With ongoing investment from global stakeholders, nanotechnology will play an increasingly central role in future scientific and industrial progress.
