Editorial: Spotlight on nanotechnology: Latin America

Nanotechnology is certainly a rapidly expanding research area that is translating into a broad spectrum of applications, from biomedicine to industry. The term was introduced in 1974, although the foundational concepts were proposed by American physicist Richard Feynman, a Nobel Laureate, in 1959. Since then, research and practical applications of nanotechnological discoveries have grown significantly. In 2024, over 256,000 papers related to nanotechnology were indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) database [1]. China, India, and the USA are the leading countries producing publications on nano-systems. Regionally, educational institutions and research centers that published more than 50 nanotechnology-related articles in 2024 in the top 10% of journals with the highest Impact Factor (IF) are predominantly based in Asian countries (44.7%), followed by European (30.4%) and North American countries (20.9%). Latin American countries account for 2.3% [2]. These numbers highlight the focus on nanotechnology in these regions. In Latin America, Brazil is the leading country in this field, followed by Mexico and Argentina. The Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory, managed by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, conducts significant research in nanotechnology. In Argentina, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation launched the Federal Plan to Promote Biotechnology and Nanotechnology in 2022, with an initial investment of $3,800 million Argentine pesos allocated for 2023. Mexico's research in nanotechnology is carried out by research centers, universities, and National Laboratories such as the National Nanotechnology Laboratory and the National Laboratory on Micro and Nanofluidics. Both laboratories are currently overseen by the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation. This Special Issue on "Spotlight on Nanotechnology: Latin America" highlights some of the research currently being developed in this region. The Special Issue contains five contributions: one in energy, two in biomedicine, and two in environmental remediation. Energy The research reported in the paper by De Souza et al. (link) involves contrasting three synthetic routes for PtRu/C catalysts to be applied in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, using methanol (CH3OH) oxidation as the target process. The findings underscore the potential of the synthesized catalysts for use in direct CH3OH fuel cells, which would offer better performance than catalysts prepared by alternative routes. Biomedicine The paper by Farfán-Castro et al. (link) expands existing evidence on the potential of using AuNPs as biocompatible and effective transporters for nanovaccine design, as the obtained conjugates did not induce irreversible in vitro cytotoxic effects. Further, the results show the capacity to provide long-term and broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 VOC, independent of conventional adjuvants. Chávez-Hernández et al. (link) tested the performance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated AgNPs on the small intestine contraction as well as other mediators in an ex