Using state-of-the-art facilities like the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, the Advanced Photon Source, and the Center for Nanoscale Materials, scientists from Argonne, academia, and major corporations design, synthesize, characterize, and model novel nanomaterials.

At the nanoscale, materials may display entirely new characteristics, such as changes in conductivity or reactivity. Nanotechnology can make materials stronger, faster, slipperier, or more durable. Discoveries in nanotechnology are essential for building more efficient solar cells, faster computers, and even new medical treatments, among other new technologies.

Argonne’s nanoscience research addresses grand challenges in energy and information transduction. Argonne scientists and engineers work to tailor nanoscale interactions by discovering, visualizing, and manipulating the behavior of hybrid nanomaterials to better meet our nation’s energy needs. By harnessing the increased complexity of these hybrid nanomaterials, Argonne researchers will develop new strategies for energy production, conversion, waste mitigation, transmission, storage, and energy efficiency.