Nano Research Young Innovators Pioneering Our Energy Future
Imagine a world where your smartphone charges from your jacket sleeve, where cars run on nothing but water and sunlight, and where entire cities are powered by devices too small to see with the naked eye.
This isn't science fiction—it's the emerging reality of nanoenergy, a field where scientists manipulate matter at the scale of individual atoms and molecules to solve our biggest energy challenges. At the forefront of this revolution are brilliant young researchers being recognized through the Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards in nanoenergy, which honor scientists under 45 for their extraordinary contributions to nanotechnology-based energy solutions 6 .
Converting ambient energy from environment into usable electrical power
Developing advanced materials for more efficient and compact energy storage
Enables precise tuning of electronic properties in nanomaterials, allowing scientists to design custom materials for specific energy applications.
In metal nanoparticles can concentrate electromagnetic fields, enhancing light-matter interactions for more efficient solar cells.
Couples piezoelectric and semiconductor properties, enabling creation of devices that harvest mechanical energy from environment.
In early 2025, an international team of researchers led by Dr. Hiroaki Maeda and Professor Hiroshi Nishihara from Tokyo University of Science announced the development of a revolutionary new material: bis(diimino)palladium coordination nanosheets (PdDI) 5 .
This two-dimensional electrocatalyst matches platinum's performance in facilitating the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)—the key process in electrolytic hydrogen production—but at a fraction of the cost.
Water + Electricity → Hydrogen Fuel
| Parameter | E-PdDI Nanosheets | Platinum Catalyst | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overpotential | 34 mV | 35 mV | Virtually Identical |
| Exchange Current Density | 2.1 mA/cm² | Comparable values | Matched Performance |
| Durability | Stable after 12 hours in acid | Typically stable | Excellent |
| Metal Utilization | Sparse atomic arrangement | Dense packing | More Efficient |
| Cost | Lower | Higher | Significant Savings |
| Material/Reagent | Function in NanoEnergy Research |
|---|---|
| Palladium precursors | Building blocks for creating efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen production 5 |
| Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) | Highly porous structures for gas storage, separation, and catalysis |
| Colloidal quantum dots | Nanoscale semiconductors with tunable electronic properties 7 |
| Triboelectric materials | Substances that generate charge through contact and separation 9 |
| Perovskite precursors | Starting materials for high-efficiency next-generation solar cells 6 |
| Solid-state electrolytes | Ceramic or polymer materials for safer, more compact batteries |
| Two-dimensional nanomaterials | Atomically thin sheets for batteries and supercapacitors 6 |
Harvest ambient energy from their environment, eliminating the need for battery replacement in hard-to-access locations 9
Integrated directly into clothing that can power medical monitors, communication devices through body movement 9
Solid-state batteries offering greater safety, faster charging, and higher energy density
The pioneering work being recognized by the NR45 Awards in nanoenergy represents more than just technical achievement—it embodies a fundamental shift in how we approach energy challenges.
By engineering materials at the nanoscale, researchers are uncovering solutions that would be impossible with conventional technologies, proving that sometimes the biggest answers come in the smallest packages.