High-speed computing and postsilicon electronic devices
Nanocomputing to facilitate proteomic work that follows from the Human Genome Project.

Sophisticated electronic structures (e.g., biological semiconductor surfaces).

Optical communications systems to provide a 10-fold increase in bandwidth.

Multi-terabit miniaturized mass-storage devices.

Molecule-sized electronic devices.

Silicon nanowires for flexible flat panel displays.

Materials and manufacture
Methods for measuring and manipulating supramolecules.

Nanoparticle-reinforced polymeric materials.

Improved cutting tools.

Nanostructured metals, ceramics, and polymers.

Nanowires 100 times stronger than steel.

Metallic electrical conductors only a few nanometers in diameter but meters in length.

Improved printing through nanometer-scale particles that have properties of dyes and pigments.

Medicine and pharmaceuticals
Nanosensors that reduce medical errors by monitoring the efficacy and side effects of prescription drugs from patients' homes.

Nanocomputing to allow faster drug discovery and modeling.

New formulations and routes for drug delivery.

Tools to characterize the chemical and mechanical properties of cells (including processes such as cell division and locomotion) and to measure properties of single molecules.

Microscopic sensor systems to detect and diagnose emerging disease.

Biocompatible implants.

Protein folding models.

Heart disease and diabetes treatments using biological electronic devices (bioMEMS) less than half the width of a human hair.

Environment and energy
Lighter-weight structural parts in cars and airplanes to reduce energy requirements.

High-efficiency fuel cells.

Increased solar energy efficiency.

Catalysts with well-defined, 1-nm pore sizes.