Nanotechnologies

A global revolution on tiny scale

The multidisciplinary nature of nanotechnology gives the Øresund Region a competitive advantage. The region has solid knowledge on several fields, such as microengineering, physics, chemistry and biology, that are decisive for the development of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the science and technology concerned with manipulating and producing materials, processes and structures at atomic and molecular level, i.e., between 0.1 and 100 nanometre large. It may have an impact on almost every imaginable technological field because of its broad and still not fully understood range of applications.

Nanowires

The nanotechnology revolution has already begun in the Øresund Region. Well-established and start-up companies as well as research institutions investigate how to create specific products based on this enabling technology. Obducat, who develops technologies for production and analysis of micro and nano structures, and Capres, working with tools for the semiconductor industry, are two prominent examples.

“Nano-words” are part of the vocabulary of several other research centres, such as the Micro and Nanotechnology Centre (MIC), whose close collaboration with companies has been decisive for the investigation of commercial applications for nanotechnology. At Risø National Laboratory, the focus is on plastic materials as an alternative to conventional silicon circuitry.

At the University of Lund, a group led by professor Lars Samuelson achieves outstanding results within nanowires. The institution, in cooperation with the city of Malmö, has formed a new institute, known as Pronano, to make nanotechnology better known among business and industry in the southern part of Sweden . Several companies, including manufacturers of paints and food processors, have already utilized Nano Consortium`s research and development resources.