Editorial: Thought leaders in nanotechnology research

Editorial on the Research Topic
Thought leaders in nanotechnology research

Nanotechnology has been one of the most critical technological fields that over the past 4 decades has contributed profoundly to advancing fundamental science as well as a wide range of applications. The envisaged role of nanotechnology within the “eight great technologies”, including big data, space, robotics and autonomous systems, synthetic biology, regenerative medicine, agri-science, advanced materials, and energy identified by the United Kingdom Government in 2013–2014, has largely been realized over the past one to 2 decades (Author Anonymous, 2013; Dobson, 2016). Its continued importance is underscored by remarks from Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, who, in his 2023 plenary speech at the Frontiers Forum, highlighted five key fields that would shape the future: Data Science, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.

To celebrate the launch of Frontiers in Nanotechnology, we assembled this Research Topic featuring contributions from leading figures in the field. The Research Topic presents state-of-the-art developments across many critical application areas as well as fundamental advances in our understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology-enabled systems. As outlined in the background of this Research Topic, these thought leaders were invited to draw on their expertise to explore recent advances in nanotechnology and to commemorate the 5-year anniversary of Frontiers in Nanotechnology, with the aim of creating a lasting resource that highlights key challenges and opportunities in the field. This themed Research Topic brings together eight carefully selected, rigorously reviewed papers spanning diverse areas of nanotechnology, including two original research papers, five perspectives, and one review (Frontiers | Thought Leaders in Nanotechnology Research).

Brain-inspired computing seeks to advance machine learning by emulating the information-processing mechanisms of biological neural networks. Nanoparticle networks interconnected by insulating organic molecules exhibit nonlinear switching behavior that can be reconfigurably functionalized as Boolean logic gates through controlled charge transport. Using a kinetic Monte Carlo simulation framework grounded in single-electronics principles, the original research by Mensing et al. quantifies key nonlinear properties, such as negative differential resistance and nonlinear separability, that underpin both logic-gate functionality and future brain-inspired computing applications. The study further reveals how system size, electrode number, and asymmetric electrode placement critically influence network fitness and nonlinearity.

In a perspective article Mazumdar et al. discussed how we perceive and interact with the world by integrating ultra-sensitive nanotechnology-based sensors, AI/ML-driven data processing, and IoT connectivity to enable intelligent, context-aware systems, i.e., sixth-generation (6G) sensing technology. This shift from sensing to sense-making promises transformative applications in healthcare, point-of-care diagnostics, urban planning, and environmental monitoring, while also presenting new technical challenges and opportunities.

When nanoparticles enter biological fluids, they form a biomolecular corona consisting of a stable hard corona and a dynamic soft corona. The original research conducted by Vilanova et al. reviews advances in soft-corona characterization and presents a new open-source simulation model, illustrated through transferrin–polystyrene nanoparticle interactions, that reveals glassy, crowding-dominated dynamics and bridges experimental gaps with improved computational insight.

Aggressive scaling in integrated circuits has driven rapid advances in nanotechnology, enabling unique nanoscale phenomena and innovative nanodevices. As understanding has matured, these devices are now being applied across an expanding range of applications, several of which are highlighted in the perspective presented by Hu.

Nanometrology is essential to nanotechnology but faces significant computational challenges, particularly in achieving super-resolution microscopy and characterizing stochastic nanostructure morphologies. The review by Kondi et al. highlights limitations of current image analysis techniques. It emphasizes the need for advanced computational methods to improve the accuracy and reliability of nanoscale measurements.

At the same time, AI is transforming the nano-electronics and semiconductor industries by accelerating innovation and productivity across the entire supply chain. The perspective by Sivasubramani and Prodromakis reviews AI integration across five key nanotechnology areas, including materials discovery, device and circuit design, testing and verification, and modeling, highlighting case studies that demonstrate improved performance, yield, and sustainable manufacturing.

The semiconductor industry’s enormous energy consumption creates critical challenges for device performance and sustainability. The perspective by Li and Wei explores energy-efficient electronics enabled by nanotechnology, focusing on plasmon-induced metal-based semiconductors and ballistic transport in nanostructured devices, which can dramatically reduce power consumption and improve performance compared with conventional silicon technologies.

The perspective by Hromadko et al. reviews the synthesis of polymeric and inorganic nanofibers and reassesses their progress relative to earlier expectations. It outlines the key remaining challenges and steps needed to achieve industrial scalability and enable broader practical applications.

Together, the contributions in this themed Research Topic highlight nanotechnology as a broad, dynamic, and impactful research area, spanning fundamental science, advanced computation, energy-efficient electronics, sensing, biomedicine, and industrially relevant materials. The thought leader perspectives showcase both the remarkable progress achieved and the critical challenges that remain, emphasizing the need for sustained cross-disciplinary collaboration. While this Research Topic cannot encompass the full scope of nanotechnology, it aims to stimulate continued dialogue and innovation, fostering integrated advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology for the benefit of society.

Author contributions

BW: Writing – original draft. TP: Writing – review and editing.

Funding

The author(s) declared that financial support was not received for this work and/or its publication.

Conflict of interest

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was not used in the creation of this manuscript.

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References

Author Anonymous, (2013). Eight great technologies - GOV. United Kingdom.

Google Scholar

Dobson, P. (2016). The long way to the market. Nat. Nanotechnol. 11, 916–917. doi:10.1038/nnano.2016.245

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