33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges. In this Nano Focus, we pose and explore 33 questions whose answers could profoundly impact fields such as energy, electronics, the environment, optics, and medicine. These questions highlight the need for deeper foundational understanding, improved tools and techniques, and innovative applications─each with significant societal relevance. Together, they represent a global call-to-action for the scientific community.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Nano
Published
2025-09-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c12854
Citations
18
Primary Topic
Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
9.32

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33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

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ACS Nano
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33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

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article en
18 citations

Abstract

Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges. In this Nano Focus, we pose and explore 33 questions whose answers could profoundly impact fields such as energy, electronics, the environment, optics, and medicine. These questions highlight the need for deeper foundational understanding, improved tools and techniques, and innovative applications─each with significant societal relevance. Together, they represent a global call-to-action for the scientific community.

ACS NanoVol. 19(36)
QB3 (US), Ikerbasque (ES), Hannam University (KR), New Jersey Institute of Technology (US), California Institute of Technology (US), University of Iowa (US), Brigham and Women's Hospital (US), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) (US), Georgia Institute of Technology (US), University of Massachusetts Lowell (US), Nanjing Tech University (CN), Harvard University (US), Seoul National University (KR), California NanoSystems Institute (US), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), Max Planck Society (DE), Emory University (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), National University of Singapore (SG), Hunan University (CN), City University of Hong Kong (HK), University of Pittsburgh (US), Nanyang Technological University (SG), Calumet College of Saint Joseph (US), Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), University of Toronto (CA), Alma College (US), Yonsei University (KR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), University of Washington (US), University of Utah (US), University of Münster (DE), Fudan University (CN), Harvard University Press (US), The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (US), University of California System (US), FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (CH), University of Florida (US), University of California San Diego (US), University of Chicago (US), CIC biomaGUNE (ES), Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (JP), BC Platforms (Finland) (FI), Boeing (Spain) (ES), Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry (RU), Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (NL), Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (HU), Huaibei Mining (China) (CN), Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (CN), Quantitative BioSciences (US), Institute for Basic Science (KR), Sandia National Laboratories (US), Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Physics (SE), Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (UA), Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Physical Sciences (United States) (US), Department of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics (BY), Quanterix (United States) (US), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States) (US), Institute of Nanotechnology (GB), Inspire (CH), Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU), Ewha Womans University Medical Center (KR), Weinberg Medical Physics (United States) (US), Cancer Genetics (United States) (US), Convergence (US), Woman's Hospital (US), Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (US), Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (US), Digital Research Alliance of Canada, State Key Laboratory of Chemobiosensing and Chemometrics (CN), International Institute for Nanotechnology, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago, University of Virginia (US), Joint BioEnergy Institute (US), University of Rochester (US), Arizona State University (US), Universidade de Vigo (ES), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), University of Maryland, College Park (US), Carnegie Mellon University (US), Virginia Tech (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US), Universidad del Noreste (MX), Nanjing University (CN), RWTH Aachen University (DE), University of Hong Kong (HK), South China University of Technology (CN), University of California, Berkeley (US), Stanford University (US), McMaster University (CA)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, W. M. Keck Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation, New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research, Hartwell Foundation, Boston University, University of Maryland, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Toyota Research Institute, National Research Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Seoul National University, University of Toronto, National Research Foundation of Korea, Hunan University, Canada First Research Excellence Fund, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, National Institutes of Health, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, European Research Council, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides
9.32
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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