Editorial: Thought leaders in nanotechnology research

To celebrate the launch of Frontiers in Nanotechnology, we assembled this Research Topic featuring contributions from leading figures in the field. The collection presents state-of-the-art developments across many critical application areas as well as fundamental advances in our understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology-enabled systems. As outlined in the background of this collection, these thought leaders were invited to draw on their expertise to explore recent advances in nanotechnology and to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Frontiers in Nanotechnology, with the aim of creating a lasting resource that highlights key challenges and opportunities in the field. This themed collection brings together eight carefully selected, rigorously reviewed papers spanning diverse areas of nanotechnology, including two original research papers, five perspectives, and one review (Frontiers | Thought Leaders in Nanotechnology Research).Brain-inspired computing seeks to advance machine learning by emulating the informationprocessing mechanisms of biological neural networks. Nanoparticle networks interconnected by insulating organic molecules exhibit nonlinear switching behavior that can be reconfigurably functionalized as Boolean logic gates through controlled charge transport. Using a kinetic Monte Carlo simulation framework grounded in single-electronics principles, the original research by Andreas Heuer et al. (Frontiers | A kinetic Monte Carlo approach for Boolean logic functionality in gold nanoparticle networks) quantifies key nonlinear properties, such as negative differential resistance and nonlinear separability, that underpin both logic-gate functionality and future brain-inspired computing applications. The study further reveals how system size, electrode number, and asymmetric electrode placement critically influence network fitness and nonlinearity.In a perspective article (Frontiers | Aspects of 6th generation sensing technology: from sensing to sense), Ajeet Kaushik et al. discussed how we perceive and interact with the world by integrating ultra-sensitive nanotechnology-based sensors, AI/ML-driven data processing, and IoT connectivity to enable intelligent, context-aware systems, i.e., sixth-generation (6G) sensing technology. This shift from sensing to sense-making promises transformative applications in healthcare, point-of-care diagnostics, urban planning, environmental monitoring, while also presenting new technical challenges and opportunities.When nanoparticles enter biological fluids, they form a biomolecular corona consisting of a stable hard corona and a dynamic soft corona. The original research (Frontiers | Characterizing the hard and soft nanoparticle-protein corona with multilayer adsorption), conducted by Giancarlo Franzese et al., reviews advances in soft-corona characterization and presents a new open-source simulation model, illustrated through transferrin-polystyrene nanoparticle interactions, that reveals glassy, crowding-dominated dynamics and bridges experimental gaps with improved computational insight.Aggressive scaling in integrated circuits has driven rapid advances in nanotechnology, enabling unique nanoscale phenomena and innovative nanodevices. As understanding has matured, these devices are now being applied across an expanding range of applications, several of which are highlighted in the perspective presented by Youfan Hu (Frontiers | Application-driven innovations in nanodevices for next-generation transistors, neuromorphic computing, neural interface and quantum computing).Nanometrology is essential to nanotechnology but faces significant computational challenges, particularly in achieving super-resolution microscopy and characterizing stochastic nanostructure morphologies. The review by Vassilios Constantoudis et al. (Frontiers | Computational methods in nanometrology: the challenges of resolution and stochasticity) highlights limitations of current image analysis techniques. It emphasizes the need for advanced computational methods to improve the accuracy and reliability of nanoscale measurements.At the same time, AI is transforming the nano-electronics and semiconductor industries by accelerating innovation and productivity across the entire supply chain. The perspective by Themis Prodromakis et al. (Frontiers | Reaching new frontiers in nanoelectronics through artificial intelligence) reviews AI integration across five key nanotechnology areas, including materials discovery, device and circuit design, testing and verification, and modeling, highlighting case studies that demonstrate improved performance, yield, and sustainable manufacturing.The semiconductor industry's enormous energy consumption creates critical challenges for device performance and sustainability. The perspective by Bingqing Wei et al. (Frontiers | Nanotechnology-enabled energy efficiency in semiconductors: plasmon-induced supersemiconductors and ballistic transport devices) explores energy-efficient electronics enabled by nanotechnology, focusing on plasmon-induced metal-based semiconductors and ballistic transport in nanostructured devices, which can dramatically reduce power consumption and improve performance compared with conventional silicon technologies.The perspective by Jan Macak et al. (Frontiers | Nanofibers: where they are, where we need them to be) reviews the synthesis of polymeric and inorganic nanofibers and reassesses their progress relative to earlier expectations. It outlines the key remaining challenges and steps needed to achieve industrial scalability and enable broader practical applications.Together, the contributions in this themed collection highlight nanotechnology as a broad, dynamic, and impactful research area, spanning fundamental science, advanced computation, energyefficient electronics, sensing, biomedicine, and industrially relevant materials. The thought leader perspectives showcase both the remarkable progress achieved and the critical challenges that remain, emphasizing the need for sustained cross-disciplinary collaboration. While this collection cannot encompass the full scope of nanotechnology, it aims to stimulate continued dialogue and innovation, fostering integrated advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology for the benefit of society.