Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity

Chapter 12. Nanotechnology in Federal Labs

Meyya Meyyappan

Federal laboratories play a major role in the development of nanotechnology. Some of the key players include NASA’s Ames Research Center, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Army Research Laboratories, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the various Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories around the country. The focus of the efforts in these laboratories is technology development for the needs of the parent organization.

For example, the impetus for nanotechnology research at NASA labs is the development of advanced miniaturization of sensors and instrumentation for science missions to meet the need for smaller mass, volume, and power consumption. Some of ...