What’s new in nano
Every dated step in the nanotechnology we track, newest first. Each one says what happened, why it matters and how far it is from your life, with its source. New ones arrive every morning.
1 step
July 2026
- Tandem solar
A LONGi tandem cell reached 35.5% efficiency, a world record, certified by the European Solar Test Installation.
Approved or on sale
1 step
June 2026
- Nanotube additives
Batteries containing OCSiAl's nanotubes were powering about a million electric vehicles, and Volkswagen's battery company PowerCo picked OCSiAl as a supplier for its Unified Cell.
Everyday life
2 steps
Dec 2025
- Aerogels
Aspen Aerogels sold $168.9 million of its PyroThin battery heat barriers in 2025, down from $306.8 million in 2024, mostly to GM.
Approved or on sale - Nanowire anodes
Amprius reported shipping batteries to hundreds of customers during 2025, mostly for drones and other aircraft.
Approved or on sale
1 step
Sept 2025
- Silicon anodes
Sila started operations at its silicon anode plant in Moses Lake, Washington, built for car batteries: 2 to 5 GWh of capacity at first.
Everyday life
1 step
March 2025
- Silicon anodes
Silicon-carbon batteries had spread to many flagship phones, including the OnePlus 13, Honor Magic 7 Pro, OPPO Find X8 and vivo X200 series. Apple, Google and Samsung had not adopted them yet.
Everyday life
1 step
Sept 2024
- Tandem solar
Oxford PV shipped its first commercial tandem panels, with 24.5% module efficiency, to a customer in the US.
Approved or on sale