Nanocomposite
Compared with traditional composite, nanocomposites may offer improved physical features such as increased stiffness, strength, barrier properties, and heat resistance, without loss of impact strength and with improved aesthetics. These materials can be used in a very broad range of thermoplastics and thermosets.

Drug delivery systems
Nano-enabled drug delivery systems will give a considerable contribution to pharmaceutical industry, in particular drug solubility enhancement, reduced development costs, greater targeting ability and consumer-friendly end products. Nanotechnology can enable fundamental biomedical breakthrougs like:
1) Novel multifunctional nanostructures may be placed in micro-sensors or pills;
2) Sensitivity may approach single molecule detection for cancer markers or toxic substances;
3) Multifunctional nanostructured drugs can target very basic intracellular processes at the subcellular level.

Diagnostic
Great efforts are directed to build lab-on-a-chip devices in order to reduce the required DNA analysis sample sizes and accelerating the drug discovery chemical reaction process. Besides, imaging technologies, such as nanoparticle probes and miniature imaging devices, are under development to promote pathology early detection and improved disease diagnosis. For example:
- paramagnetic nanoparticles could enable MRI imaging of cancer cells at pre-symptomatic stage
- nanoshells could enable real-time assessment of drug action.

Contaminated Site Remediation
Nanoscale technology is turning out to be a remarkably effective tool for cleaning up contaminated soil and groundwater. Several methodologies are under testing.

Photovoltaic cells
Nanotechnology may led to the production of cheaper and slightly more efficient solar cells. Several companies are striving to produce photon-harvesting materials at lower costs and in higher volumes than traditional crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells. In the near future new materials will be sprayed as a liquid onto a plastic substrate where it self-assembles into a photovoltaic film. In a short time this dynamic market will offer devices that will combine the flexibility of plastics with the electronic properties of inorganic semiconductors.

Packaging
Nanomaterials can address spoilage and flavour packaging issues, and also offer other benefits like lighter weight and better recyclability. This suggest that producers may be able to significantly reduce transportation and production costs by reducing the amount of material used to package items.
Researchers are working to develop packaging materials that will change their properties depending on external or internal conditions, such as temperature, humidity or food molecular composition.

Mems and Nems
Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) combine electronics with microscale mechanical devices, resulting in microscopic machinery. MEMS is a branch of microtechnology that has found numerous commercial applications, for instance accelerometers for airbag deployment in automobiles, ink jet printer heads, color projection displays, chemical sensors and scanning probe microscopy.
Nano-Electromechanical Systems (NEMS) are orders of magnitude smaller than MEMS and are one of the goals of nanotechnology. It is a promising method that will allow to control matter on the nanoscale level. The final aim is to build small tools and machines that can be used to build even smaller tools and machines until molecular precision is reached.

Heterogeneous Catalysis
Catalysts are perhaps the first industrial nanotechnology, in which particles with a diameter of 2-10 nanometers are deposited on high surface area support. Heterogeneous catalysts are highly engineered substances that accelerate one or more chemical reactions while remaining essentially unchanged during the reactions. The activity, selectivity and stability of these materials often determine in large part the economics and capital costs of any process. There is a constant search for novel catalysts and methods for manufacturing them.
The introduction of nano-dispersed catalysts will have a deep impact on efficient fuel processing, superior energy processes, high performance industrial chemistry and better environmental technologies.

Paint
Painting processes could benefit from an implementation of the nanotechnology research results. In the near future there could be:
- Liquid solids, made up of nano-size particles, that could eliminate a lot of the expense involved in applying protective coatings to electronic gadgets or patio furniture. It also doesn't give off hazardous fumes
- Paints with the ability to self-correct because of changing circumstances and tell the user of potential anomalies such as corrosion or adhesion problems
- Innovative nano-particle clearcoat which offers significantly greater scratch resistance and improved gloss