Nanoscience is the study of matter at the nanoscale—roughly between 1 and 100 nanometres. To put this into perspective, a nanometre (nm) is one billionth of a metre (1 nm = 10⁻⁹ m). At this scale, materials can behave very differently from how they do in bulk: their optical, electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties can change dramatically. For us, understanding these properties and learning how to control them is what nanoscience is about.

Nanotechnology takes that understanding and turns it into applications. New materials, more efficient solar cells, targeted drug delivery systems, faster computing devices, cleaner water treatment. The possibilities are vast. Applications span virtually every sector of human activity: from health and energy to the environment and information and communication technologies.

At ICN2, we work at this scale every day. Our research groups, facilities and collaborations are built around the conviction that what happens at the nanoscale—invisible to the naked eye—can make a difference on the scale that matters most: the scale of human life.