Nanotechnology: Portal to a stronger economy?

Nanotechnology is viewed by many as a potential springboard for a future economic boom. The increasing ability to control matter to engineer devices and structures at the atomic and molecular levels promises to create opportunities for an array of new industries, says ASU’s Stephen Goodnick.

Applications of nanotechnology are already producing strides in the energy, electronics and biomedical fields, says Goodnick, a professor in the School of Computer, Electrical and Energy Engineering, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

He’s also deputy director of the university’s LightWorks initiative, through which researchers are pursuing advances in renewable energy, biofuels, photovoltaics, computing and heath care. Much of the work involves employing nanotechnological capabilities.

ASU’s NanoFab facility is providing some of the groundwork to help industries improve their products and services through nanoscale fabrication.