Journal article
33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
ACS nano, Vol.19(36), pp.31933-31968
09/16/2025
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c12854
PMCID: PMC12696693
PMID: 40905551
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.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- 33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
- Creators
- Zhe Wang - University of IowaChad A Mirkin - International Institute for NanotechnologySarah Hurst Petrosko - International Institute for NanotechnologyNatalie Artzi - InspireKoray Aydin - Northwestern UniversityAustin Biaggne - International Institute for NanotechnologyC Jeffrey Brinker - University of New MexicoKatherine E Bujold - McMaster UniversityY Charles Cao - University of FloridaRachel R Chan - International Institute for NanotechnologyChaojian Chen - Nanjing UniversityPeng-Cheng Chen - Fudan UniversityXiaodong Chen - Nanyang Technological UniversityOlivier J G L Chevalier - International Institute for NanotechnologyChung Hang Jonathan Choi - Chinese University of Hong KongRichard M Crooks - The University of Texas at AustinVinayak P Dravid - Northwestern UniversityJingshan S Du - Physical Sciences (United States)Sasha B Ebrahimi - BC Platforms (Finland)Hongyou Fan - Sandia National LaboratoriesOmar K Farha - International Institute for NanotechnologyC Adrian Figg - Virginia TechTanner D Fink - International Institute for NanotechnologyConnor M Forsyth - Northwestern UniversityHarald Fuchs - University of MünsterFranz M Geiger - International Institute for NanotechnologyNathan C Gianneschi - Institute of NanotechnologyKyle J Gibson - Alma CollegeDavid S Ginger - University of WashingtonSiShi Guo - South China University of TechnologyJustin S Hanes - Johns Hopkins UniversityLiangliang Hao - Boston UniversityJin Huang - International Institute for NanotechnologyBryan M Hunter - International Institute for NanotechnologyFengwei Huo - Nanjing Tech UniversityJeongmin Hwang - International Institute for NanotechnologyRongchao Jin - Carnegie Mellon UniversityShana O Kelley - International Institute for NanotechnologyThomas J Kempa - Johns Hopkins UniversityYoungeun Kim - Seoul National UniversitySergej Kudruk - International Institute for NanotechnologySneha Kumari - International Institute for NanotechnologyKaitlin M Landy - University of ChicagoKi-Bum Lee - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyNoel J Leon - International Institute for NanotechnologyJun Li - International Institute for NanotechnologyYuanwei Li - Stanford UniversityZhiwei Li - University of Maryland, College ParkBin Liu - National University of SingaporeGuoliang Liu - Virginia TechXiaogang Liu - National University of SingaporeLuis M Liz-Marzán - CIC biomaGUNEJochen H Lorch - International Institute for NanotechnologyTaokun Luo - International Institute for NanotechnologyRobert J Macfarlane - Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyJill E Millstone - Division of Materials Science and EngineeringMilan Mrksich - National Institute for NanotechnologyCatherine J Murphy - Chan Zuckerberg Biohub ChicagoRajesh R Naik - xAI (United States)Andre E Nel - California NanoSystems InstituteChristopher Oetheimer - Universidad del NoresteJenny K Hedlund Orbeck - Northwestern UniversitySo-Jung Park - Ewha Womans UniversityBenjamin E Partridge - University of RochesterNicholas A Peppas - The University of Texas at AustinMichelle L Personick - University of VirginiaArindam Raj - International Institute for NanotechnologyNamrata Ramani - InspireMichael B Ross - University of Massachusetts LowellStacey Barnaby Ross - Quanterix (United States)Edward H Sargent - Northwestern UniversityTanushri Sengupta - International Institute for NanotechnologyGeorge C Schatz - International Institute for NanotechnologyDwight S Seferos - University of TorontoTamar Seideman - International Institute for NanotechnologySoyoung Eileen Seo - Arizona State UniversityBo Shen - City University of Hong KongWooyoung Shim - Institute for Basic ScienceDonghoon Shin - International Institute for NanotechnologyUlrich Simon - Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Slovak Academy of SciencesAndrew J Sinegra - Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States)Peter T Smith - International Institute for NanotechnologyAlexander M Spokoyny - University of California, Los AngelesPeter J Stang - University of UtahAlexander H Stegh - Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineJ Fraser Stoddart - University of Hong KongDayne F Swearer - Northwestern UniversityWeihong Tan - Theranostics (New Zealand)Michelle H Teplensky - Boston UniversityC Shad Thaxton - International Institute for NanotechnologyDavid R Walt - Harvard UniversityMary X Wang - ConvergenceWei David Wei - University of FloridaPaul S Weiss - California NanoSystems InstitutePeter H Winegar - QB3Younan Xia - The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical EngineeringYi Xie - International Institute for NanotechnologyXiaoyang Xu - New Jersey Institute of TechnologyPeidong Yang - University of California, BerkeleyYiming Yang - International Institute for Nanotechnology
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- ACS nano, Vol.19(36), pp.31933-31968
- DOI
- 10.1021/acsnano.5c12854
- PMID
- 40905551
- PMCID
- PMC12696693
- NLM abbreviation
- ACS Nano
- ISSN
- 1936-086X
- eISSN
- 1936-086X
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society
- Grant note
- NSF: CHE-2304909, CHE-2347622, CHE-1808539, CHE-2004238, CHE-2153191, CHE-2404203, 2418613, 2108612, 2001606, DMR-1352328, DMR-2019444, DMR-2411680, DMR-2004899, DMR 2403955, DMR-2428112, ECCS-2025633 DOE: DE-SC0004752, DE-SC0023342, DE-SC0025488, DE-SC0025283 NIH: R00CA237861, F32GM153046, R01CA275430, R01EB022025, 1R01NS130836-01A1, RM1NS133003-01, R21NS132556-01, R35GM157326, 2R01HL139001, R01CA257926, U54DK137516 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation): 390919832 European Research Council: 101166855 New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research: CSCR22ERG023, CSCR24IRG005 Alzheimer's Association: AARG-NTF-21-847862 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs: OC220235P1 AFOSR: FA9550-23-1-0210, FA-9550-22-1-0300 ARO: W911NF-23-2-0101, W911NF-23-1-0285, W911NF-25-2-0018 US Army: W911QY25P0006 Air Force: FA8650-21-2-5028 Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE)Toyota Research Institute, Inc.Bachrach Family FoundationLefkofsky Family FoundationArnold and Mabel Beckman FoundationHartwell FoundationW. M. Keck Foundation, Challenge Initiative (UCLA)National Natural Science Foundation of China: 62288102 Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation: RS-2024-00397807, RS-2023-00274736 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)Canada First Research Excellence Fund: CFREF-2022-00042 Washington Research Foundation - Stanford Science FellowshipUniversity of IowaUniversity of Maryland College Park, Seoul National UniversityU.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration: DE-NA-0003525, DE-AC05-76RL01830 National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Support is acknowledged from the NSF (CHE-2304909, CHE-2347622, CHE-1808539, CHE-2004238, CHE-2153191, CHE-2404203, 2418613, 2108612, 2001606, DMR-1352328, DMR-2019444, DMR-2411680, DMR-2004899, DMR 2403955, DMR-2428112, ECCS-2025633), DOE (DE-SC0004752, DE-SC0023342, DE-SC0025488, DE-SC0025283), NIH (R00CA237861, F32GM153046, R01CA275430, R01EB022025, 1R01NS130836-01A1, RM1NS133003-01, R21NS132556-01, R35GM157326, 2R01HL139001, R01CA257926, U54DK137516), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, ID: 390919832), European Research Council (Synergy Grant #101166855), New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research (CSCR22ERG023, CSCR24IRG005), Alzheimer's Association (AARG-NTF-21-847862), Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (OCRP, OC220235P1), AFOSR (FA9550-23-1-0210, FA-9550-22-1-0300), ARO (W911NF-23-2-0101, W911NF-23-1-0285, W911NF-25-2-0018), US Army (W911QY25P0006), Air Force (agreement FA8650-21-2-5028 through the support of Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), Toyota Research Institute, Inc., Edgar H. Bachrach through the Bachrach Family Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, The Hartwell Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, Challenge Initiative (UCLA), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Award number 62288102), Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation, National Research Foundation of Korea (RS-2024-00397807, RS-2023-00274736), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), University of Toronto's Acceleration Consortium from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF-2022-00042), UT Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, and Regenerative Medicine, UT-Portugal Collaborative Research Program, Washington Research Foundation, 2025 Daejeon RISE Project (funded by the Ministry of Education and Daejeon Metropolitan City in the Republic of Korea), and Stanford Science Fellowship. Start-up funds from the University of Iowa, the University of Maryland College Park, Seoul National University, and Boston University are acknowledged. C.A.M. and C.J.M. are CZ Biohub Investigators. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of International, Inc., for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525. PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for the DOE by Battelle under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. This manuscript is the result of funding in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is subject to the NIH Public Access Policy. Through acceptance of this federal funding, NIH has been given a right to make this manuscript publicly available in PubMed Central upon the Official Date of Publication, as defined by NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies or the United States Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 09/04/2025
- Date published
- 09/16/2025
- Academic Unit
- Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984958293602771
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