Nano @ NIST: Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Risks of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is . . .
... the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers (billionths of a meter), where unique phenomena occur and enable novel applications. It involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale. The field encompasses science, engineering, and technology—at the nanoscale.

National Nanotechnology Initiative

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Nano@NIST: Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Risks of Nanotechnology

At a Glance: NIST Role

NIST’s technical contributions underpin progress toward nanotechnology’s many anticipated market applications and societal benefits worldwide, from cost-competitive solar power to reliable supplies of clean drinking water. Research is also aimed at leveraging advances in nanotechnology to improve NIST’s own measurement capabilities and services. In addition, the NIST laboratories assist other federal agencies to exploit nanotechnology to further their missions in areas such as national security, food safety, and environmental protection.

NIST participates in the federal government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which coordinates the individual and cooperative nanotechnology-related activities of 26 agencies with diverse research and regulatory responsibilities. NIST is one of 13 agencies that funds nanotechnology research, which, government-wide, totals almost $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2008.

Nanotechnology-related efforts are aligned with seven of the NNI’s eight major categories of research and other activities. Sustained progress in each category is critical to realizing the NNI vision of a “future in which the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to a revolution in technology and industry that benefits society.” NIST contributes to technical advances in the following areas:

Instrumentation research, metrology, and standards—This is NIST’s nanotechnology strong suit, a natural fit for an agency that serves as the nation’s measurement authority and its link to the international measurement system. NIST accomplishments in this area—ranging from measurement reference materials, to electron counters, to single-molecule measurements—contribute to nearly every nanotechnology-related pursuit.

Nanomaterials—Engineering matter on the nanoscale makes it possible to tailor-make materials optimized for specific uses—from new insulators for integrated circuits to superior stealth coatings for military aircraft to innovative biocompatible materials for implanted biomedical devices. To study these new materials, NIST is developing new instruments to probe their properties and three-dimensional atomic structures, and devising high-speed screening methods so that future “nanoengineers” can quickly evaluate their creations.

Fundamental nanoscale phenomena and processes—NIST research contributes fundamental knowledge and theoretical frameworks to aid our understanding of nanoscale structures, processes, and mechanisms, pointing the way to new opportunities and future applications of nanotechnology.

Nanomanufacturing—Pursued from both the top-down and the bottom-up, NIST research is furthering the development of reliable, cost-effective methods for processing nanomaterials and for producing, assembling, and integrating commercially viable nanoscale materials, devices, and systems.

Nanoscale Devices and Systems—This research area exemplifies how nanotechnology is a two-way street at NIST. The agency is developing measurement tools and methods necessary to improve and further miniaturize electronic, magnetic, and other types of devices and systems—or to develop entirely new types of next-generation technologies. NIST also leverages advances in nanotechnology to improve its measurement capabilities and related services in a wide range of technical areas that underpin research and commerce.

Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS)—NIST research and services are essential to achieving the important objective of minimizing the potential risks of nanotechnology while maximizing its intended benefits. Under the NNI Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research, NIST is the coordinating federal agency for work on the instrumentation, metrology, and analytical methods necessary for identifying and preventing risks posed by engineered nanomaterials. Work in this area is crosscutting, yielding results useful to progress in the other four research categories that make up the EHS strategy.

Major Research Facilities and Instrumentation Acquisition—NIST funds and manages facilities and a large assortment of world-class instruments, including custom-made equipment designed to tackle key measurement challenges. This collection of advanced tools is a valuable hub in the nation’s evolving science and engineering infrastructure for nanotechnology research and development. The centerpiece in this collection is a new user facility:

CNST’s Nanofab Facility—Opened in May 2007, this nanofabrication and nanomeasurement facility is staffed and equipped to help researchers and organizations solve nanoscale measurement problems that are hindering the commercial development of nanotechnology. The facility includes a 19,000-square-foot cleanroom (with 8,000 square feet at class 100) featuring more than 30 state-of-the-art tools. The Nanofab is open to all on a fee-based, shared-use basis, providing users with equipment, expert training, and a high level of flexibility.

For Further Information—For more information on NIST’s nanotechnology research, facilities, and services, contact inquiries@nist.gov, (301) 975-NIST (6478).

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Date created: June 12, 2008
Updated: July 17, 2008
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov