National Nanotechnology Initiative
This page was updated on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 07:34 AM GMT
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology means the science and technology that enables scientists to understand, measure, manipulate, and manufacture at the atomic, molecular, and supramolecular (a discrete number of molecules) levels. Nanotechnology is aimed at creating materials, devices, and systems with fundamentally new molecular organization, properties, and functions. Nanotechnology and nanoscale refer to lengths of 1 to 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, or about the width of 10 hydrogen atoms arranged side by side in a line. Think atoms and molecules and really small stuff.
National Nanotechnology Initiative
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) was launched in 2001. NNI is a multiagency R&D initiative to advance understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, where the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and sometimes useful ways from the properties of individual atoms or bulk matter.
On December 3, 2003, President Bush signed into law the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act which authorizes funding for nanotechnology research and development (R&D) over 4 years, starting in Fiscal Year 2005. This legislation puts into law programs and activities supported by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), one of the highest multi-agency R&D priorities. Since its inception the 20 agencies that make up the NNI have spent over $31 billion.
The five Federal organizations with the significant investments in nanotechnology research and development, representing 96% of the total funding, are:
- HHS/NIH — Nanotechnology-based biomedical research at the intersection of life and physical sciences.
- NSF — Fundamental research and education across all disciplines of science and engineering.
- DOE — Fundamental and applied research providing a basis for new and improved energy technologies.
- DOD — Science and engineering research advancing defense and dual use capabilities.
- DOC/NIST — Fundamental research and development of measurement and fabrication tools, analytical methodologies, metrology, and standards for nanotechnology.
On Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
Compared to conventional drugs, nanoparticle-based drug delivery has specific advantages, such as improved stability and biocompatibility, enhanced permeability and retention effect, and precise targeting. The application and development of hybrid nanoparticles, which incorporates the combined properties of different nanoparticles, has led this type of drug-carrier system to the next level. In addition, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have been shown to play a role in overcoming cancer-related drug resistance.
National Nanotechnology Initiative Agencies
Following is the list of agencies that participated in the National Nanotechnology Initiative
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Agricultural Research Service (ARS)*
- Forest Service (FS)*
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)*
- Department of Commerce (DOC)
- Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
- Economic Development Administration (EDA)
- International Trade Administration (ITA)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)*
- Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Department of Defense (DOD)*
- Department of Education (ED)
- Department of Energy (DOE)*
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)*
- National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)*
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)*
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)*
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of the Interior (DOI)
- Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)*
- Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)*
- Geological Survey (USGS)
- Department of Justice (DOJ)
- National Institute of Justice (NIJ)*
- Department of Labor (DOL)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Department of State (DOS)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)*
- Department of the Treasury (Treasury)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)*
- Intelligence Community (IC)
- International Trade Commission (USITC)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)*
- National Science Foundation (NSF)*
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
* Denotes agencies (or organizations within agencies) reporting funding for nanotechnology R&D
Nanotechnology Research Sample By Department
This is a list of sample research projects cited in the President's 2021 budget request to Congress. The research topic and funding agency are included.
| Nano Research Topic | Department |
|---|---|
| Producing higher-quality graphene oxide paper. | DOD — ONR |
| Making ceramics that are ductile like metals. | DOD — ONR |
| Utilizing materials by design for high-performance concrete. | DOD — ARMY |
| Understanding the interface between living cells and synthetic surfaces. | DOD — AFRL |
| Inventing artificial muscles. | DOD — AFRL |
| Printing and powering wearable sensors and electronic tattoos. | DOD, NIH, and NSF |
| Revealing a magnetic topological insulator. | DOE — Oak Ridge National Lab |
| Enhancing battery capacity. | DOE |
| Removing salts and pollutants to make water drinkable. | DOE |
| Confirming predicted behavior that could lead to a four-way switch. | DOE |
| Catalyzing fuels and materials. | DOE and NSF |
| Dissipating heat for hypersonics. | HHS — AFRL |
| Eliminating HIV from the genomes of living animals. | HHS — NIH |
| Enabling testing for viruses - FDA has utilized nanosensors to develop novel and sensitive diagnostic assays for HIV, influenza, West Nile virus, dengue virus, and Zika virus. |
HHS — FDA |
| Understanding DNA origami. | HHS — NIH |
| Making plant-based insulation better than petroleum-based foams. | HHS — NIFA |
| Directly writing quantum light sources. | HHS — AFRL and NRL |
| Detecting and degrading contaminants in water and the environment. | HHS — NIFA |
| Accelerating wound healing. | HS — NIH |
| Developing biosensors to detect life in oceans and space. | NASA, NSF, and NIH |
| Designing vaccines to improve cancer immunotherapies. | NIH and DOD |
| Detecting cancer and other diseases with a urine test. | NIH and NSF |
| Understanding the lifetime of tooth enamel. | NIH, DOE, NSF, and DOD |
| Fabricating quantum devices with near atomic precision. | NIST and DOD |
| Advancing nanotechnology to address brain health. | NIST and DOD |
| Advancing understanding and control of spin states. | NIST and DOD |
| Developing the first universal nanoparticle adsorption model. | NSF |
| Enabling smart textiles to alert workers and first responders to dangerous chemicals. | NSF |
| Breaking the record for the blackest black. -- carbon nanotubes. | NSF and DOD |
| Exploiting the properties of light for autonomous vehicles and detecting distant galaxies. | NSF and DOD |
| Harvesting Wi-Fi signals to power devices. | NSF and DOD |
| Monitoring the stomach with ingestible expanding pill. | NSF and NIH |
| Tailoring enzymes to make eco-friendly fuels and materials. | NSF and NIST |
| Transforming the way nutrients are delivered to plants. | NSF, DOE, and EPA |
| Rapidly detecting pathogens for food safety. | USDA — ARS |
| Avoiding antibiotics in aquaculture. | USDA — ARS |
SBIR/STTR Nanotechnology Research Topics By Department
This is a list of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research topics along with the funding agency.
| Nano Research Topic | Department |
|---|---|
| Automation of scanning electron microscopy image analysis for semiconductor industry process development (NIST). | COMMERCE — NIST |
| Chiroptical spectrometer for distinguishing left and right enantiomers of nanomaterials (NIST). | COMMERCE — NIST |
| Silicon nanowire sensors to measure host-cell proteins at a biomanufacturing line (NIST). | COMMERCE — NIST |
| Nanocomposite coatings to reduce wear and improve efficiency of mechanical gears (DOD). | DOD |
| 3D-printed controlled-release nanomedicines to treat bacterial infections in burn victims (DOD). | DOD |
| Nanoengineered electrodes for less expensive, safer, longer-lasting, and/or higher-energy density batteries, enabling a variety of commercial and military applications (DOD, DOE). | DOD |
| Nanostructured hydrophobic anti-reflective surfaces for military sensor platforms (DOD). | DOD |
| Gecko-inspired nanostructures to hermetically seal chemical/biological protection systems (DOD). | DOD |
| Nanoengineered vaccines for malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (DOD, NIH). | DOD and HHS — NIH |
| High-resolution, low-cost vias for 3D integrated sensors (DOE). | DOE |
| Highly parallel scanning tunneling microscopy lithography/hierarchical assembly for atomically precise manufacturing (DOE). | DOE |
| Bioinspired nanostructured antireflective materials for high-efficiency lighting (DOE). | DOE |
| Integrating software/hardware approaches for compressive sensing to enhance the performance of ultra-high-speed electron cameras (DOE). | DOE |
| In-situ transmission electron microscopy characterization of electrochemical processes in solid-state energy storage devices with air-sensitive materials (DOE). | DOE |
| Low-cost hybrid plasmonic and photonic “campanile” near-field probes by nanoimprint lithography (DOE). | DOE |
| Scanning tunneling microscope-based hydrogen depassivation lithography automation via artificial intelligence (DOE). | DOE |
| Nanomaterials enabling highway paint to communicate safety/hazard messages to vehicles (DOT). | DOT |
| Inexpensive, low-power nanosensors for detecting methane leaks (EPA). | EPA |
| Nanoliposomes for targeted delivery of cancer therapeutics (NIH). | HHS — NIH |
| Nanopatterned electrode arrays for measuring and promoting cardiac tissue development (NIH) | HHS — NIH |
| Bioresorbable nanoparticles for visual detection of early-stage dental decay (NIH). | HHS — NIH |
| Models and field-deployable in vitro devices for testing toxicity of engineered nanomaterials (NIH) | HHS — NIH |
| Detecting biomarkers for life in ocean worlds with solid-state nanopores (NASA). | NASA |
| Shear-thickening suspensions of nanoparticles for puncture-resistant space suits (NASA). | NASA |
| Sensors, surfaces, and membranes for spacecraft water monitoring, recovery, and recycling (NASA). | NASA |
| Mass-produced paper filters with nanosilver for affordable point-of-use water disinfection (NSF) | NSF |
| Nanocomposite foams for pressure mapping to prevent bed sores in long-term care (NSF). | NSF |
| Synthetic nanomaterials for cell scaffoldings to promote infection-free tissue regeneration (NSF). | NSF |
| Nanomanufacturing of photocatalyst floor coatings to reduce volatile organic compounds (NSF). | NSF |
| Nano-plasmonic grating sensors for 100X increased sensitivity in tuberculosis detection (NSF). | NSF |
| Nanoscale silica-based materials to reinforce natural rubber for “green” tires (NSF). | NSF |
| “Nanobubble” washing solutions for removal of pathogens in fresh produce (USDA). | USDA |
| Nanosensors for detecting chemicals from insect infestations in food storage containers (USDA). | USDA |