Celebrating Major Manufacturing Advances at a Very Small Scale on National Nanotechnology Day

On National Nanotechnology Day (10/9/2020), the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) is featuring images from beyond the visual range of the human eye to show how this tiny technology is shaping big manufacturing breakthroughs.

At the nanoscale (10-9 meter)—100,000 times smaller than the thickness of a piece of paper—everyday materials behave differently and exhibit unique characteristics, such as high strength, better conductivity, and increased chemical reactivity.

AMO’s “nanomanufacturing” portfolio focuses on harnessing these properties to dramatically reduce energy use and improve the performance of materials, structures, devices, and finished goods, supporting emerging technologies that bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.

AMO’s work includes:

Testing new materials with enhanced strength, toughness, or wear-resistance properties, such as particles that can improve the performance of energy-storage devices, catalysts to enable energy-efficient chemical manufacturing, alloys with higher conductivity and better performance under harsh conditions, and more.
Developing new manufacturing tools, methods, and products, including additive manufacturing, to create defect-free materials and new ways to manufacture electronics on the nano and micro scale.
Making nanotechnology more scalable and manufacturable through new processes, e.g., nanotechnologies that can operate in room-temperature environments.

Visit the AMO website to view photo galleries highlighting nanotechnology projects in AMO’s research and development (R&D) portfolio in energy storage, novel manufacturing tools and methods, water, microelectronics, and chemical manufacturing. Additionally, AMO is highlighting beautiful “nanoart,” demonstrating the incredible capability of modern, nanoscale imaging and manufacturing methods.

Join in the celebration on EERE’s Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages using #NationalNanoDay.