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Nanotechnology is engineering at the scale of nanometers, where things are built a few atoms at a time and materials start to behave differently. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)

1nm=11,000,000,000of a meter

How small is nano?

From a hair to an atom

Each step along this ruler is ten times smaller than the one before. Everyday things are in white; things we track are in color, and open their own page.

100,000 nmA sheet of paperAbout 100,000 nanometers thick.National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)
80,000 nmA human hairRoughly 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)
100 nmDNA origamiIts famous smiley faces are each about a thousandth of the width of a human hair.Caltech, 10 Mar 2016
50 nmSelf-cleaning glassThe coating is about 50 nanometers thick: 50 millionths of a millimeter.Pilkington
14 nmNanoimprintIt can print lines as narrow as 14 nanometers.Canon, 26 Sept 2024
13.5 nmEUV lithographyThe light it prints with has a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers.ASML
2.5 nmA strand of human DNA2.5 nanometers across.National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)
1 nmNanopore sequencingThe hole in the pore is about one nanometer wide: a billionth of a meter.UK Research and Innovation (MRC)
0.33 nmA gold atomAbout a third of a nanometer across.National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)

“A sphere with a diameter of 1 nanometer is to a softball as a softball is to the Earth.”

The US National Nanotechnology Initiative. National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov) Or another way: there are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch. National Nanotechnology Initiative (nano.gov)

From lab to your life

Five steps, no guessing

We place every technology on one of five steps, worked out from dated, sourced events: a published paper, a trial, an approval, a product on sale. Nobody sets a step by hand, and we never forecast.

1Lab discovery
Shown in a lab or a computer model, in a published paper or preprint.
How far from your life: Usually 10 years or more from products, and most never get there.
For example:2D chips MXenes Molecular machines DNA origami
2Working prototype
Works beyond the first experiment: in animal studies, as a device prototype or on a pilot production line.
How far from your life: Still years away; many prototypes stall here.
For example:Nanotube chips Vantablack DNA nanorobots Microrobots
3Real-world testing
Tested in people, in the field, or with named customers.
How far from your life: Could reach you in a few years if the tests go well.
For example:In-body gene editing mRNA cancer vaccine MOF carbon capture MOF water harvesting
4Approved or on sale
Cleared by a regulator where that applies (such as the FDA or EMA), or sold to the public.
How far from your life: You can get it now, though it may not be common yet.
For example:Onpattro Doxil Abraxane Feraheme
5Everyday life
Widely used, often without people knowing nano is involved.
How far from your life: It is probably already in your life.
For example:mRNA vaccines Rapid tests EUV lithography Silicon anodes

Nano or just a label?

Does the tiny scale do the work?

“Nano” on a label sells. For everything we track, we say whether its nanoscale structure is what makes it work, or one ingredient among others.

Truly nano

Its nanoscale structure is what makes it work.

28 tracked, such asmRNA vaccines Onpattro Doxil Abraxane

Partly nano

It uses nanomaterials, but they are one ingredient among others.

6 tracked, such asSilicon anodes Tandem solar Mineral sunscreen Nano urea

Nano in name

"Nano" is in the name or the marketing; our sources don't show nanoscale engineering behind it.

Nothing we track is in this group yet.

How to read a page

Every line links to its source; hover a source to see the passage we copied from it, word for word. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself. Promises carry their dates, and we flag a target that has passed.

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