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Hub Overview
Houston's nanotechnology traces back to a single discovery: the buckyball, the soccer-ball-shaped carbon molecule found at Rice University in 1985, which won its discoverers the Nobel Prize and helped launch the whole field. Rice still anchors the region through the Smalley-Curl Institute, named for two of those laureates, with deep strength in carbon nanomaterials, nanophotonics, and 2D materials. The University of Houston adds superconductivity and energy materials, while the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, drives nanomedicine.
Rice and the Texas Medical Center sit close together just south of downtown, which puts fundamental nanoscience and one of the world's largest clinical research bases within easy reach of each other. The University of Houston is a short distance east. The region's commercial edge comes from applying nanomaterials to its established industries, so much of the company activity targets oil and gas, petrochemicals, aerospace, and medical devices rather than consumer electronics.
Research Map
Locations of nanotechnology research labs and companies across the Greater Houston area. Click any marker for the institution’s profile and to find hotels nearby.
Research lab
Company
Key Institutions
Rice University
12 nano groups
University of Houston
7 nano groups
MD Anderson Cancer Center
4 nano groups
Baylor College of Medicine
1 nano group
Rice Quantum Institute
1 nano group
UTHealth Houston
1 nano group
Research Labs & Groups
The following nanotechnology research groups and labs are based in the Greater Houston area.
University
Houston
Ghanashyam Acharya at Baylor College of Medicine conducts translational nanomedicine, bionanotechnology, advanced materials, and drug delivery research, with appointments in Surgery and Ophthalmology and an adjunct appointment in Rice Materials Science and NanoEngineering.
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University
Houston
The Biomedical Optics and Nanodiagnostics Laboratory advances nanotechnology, molecular imaging, and biophotonics for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
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University
Houston
The Cho Laboratory develops applications of metal-based nanostructures, including gold nanoparticles, for x-ray imaging and radiation therapy, and quantitative imaging techniques for boron neutron capture therapy.
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University
Houston
The Lopez-Berestein Laboratory is a cancer nanomedicine and biology laboratory focused on mechanisms of cancer cell survival, tumorigenesis and progression, and therapeutic applications using RNA interference, oligonucleotides, chemotherapeutic agents, and small molecules.
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University
Houston
The Melancon Laboratory develops nanoparticle-enhanced absorbable devices for vascular diseases and nanotheranostics for the management of cancer and its complications.
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University
Houston
Research in RQI encompasses advanced materials, quantum magnetism, plasmonics and photonics, biophysics, ultracold atom physics, condensed matter and chemical physics, and all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
University
Houston
The Catalysis and Nanomaterials Laboratory, directed by Michael S. Wong, addresses water, sustainability, and energy challenges using chemical engineering, materials chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis, and nano-enabled approaches.
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University
Houston
Faculty in the Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering hold joint appointments in several other departments: mechanical engineering, bioengineering, chemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering, electrical and computer engineering, civil and environmental engineering and physics and astronomy.
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University
Houston
The Emerging Nanomaterials and Technology Research Laboratory develops emerging device technologies and heterogeneous circuits using nanomaterials such as 2D materials and phase-change materials, together with computational device and circuit concepts.
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University
Houston
The Naik Lab at Rice University explores extreme control of light using nanotechnology, with research in nanophotonic materials and devices for energy conversion and storage, imaging, display, and sensing.
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University
Houston
The Nanomaterials, Nanomechanics and Nanodevices lab (N3L) at Rice University is led by Prof. Jun Lou. Their interests lie in the areas of nanomaterial synthesis, nanomechanical characterization and nanodevice fabrication for energy, environmental and biomedical applications.
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University
Houston
The Nanoscale Heat Transfer Lab uses experiments and theory to understand heat transport in nanomaterials and to design improved thermal systems for energy and electronics applications.
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University
Houston
The Pasquali Research Group develops sustainable high-value carbon materials, especially carbon nanotubes and CNT fibers, for decarbonization, advanced conductors, structural materials, biomedical sensing, and related applications.
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University
Houston
The Institute's mission is to provide a venue where researchers from all disciplines of science and engineering can come together to share ideas and discuss their views and prospects of nanoscience, nanoengineering, and nanotechnology.
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University
Houston
The Tour group at Rice University. Scientific research areas include molecular electronics, chemical self-assembly, conjugated oligomers, electroactive polymers, combinatorial routes to precise oligomers, polymeric sensors, flame retarding polymer additives, carbon nanotube modification and composite formation, synthesis of molecular motors and nanotrucks, use of the NanoKids concept for K-12 education in nanoscale science.
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University
Houston
The Yakobson Research Group in Materials Science and NanoEngineering carries out theoretical and computational research on nanoscale materials, including carbon and two-dimensional materials, defects, mechanics, and related nanostructures.
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University
Houston
The Bao Group at the University of Houston works on nanoscience and nanotechnology topics including graphene, two-dimensional materials, plasmonics, semiconductor nanowire optoelectronics, solar energy conversion, and plasmonic biosensors.
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University
Houston
The Center for Integrated Bio and Nano Systems supports interdisciplinary research at the interface of bio and nano systems, with work supported by federal agencies, CPRIT, the Welch Foundation, and the Alliance for Nanohealth.
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University
Houston
The Curran Nanotechnology Transformation Group works to accelerate nanotechnology innovations from invention to market and to connect students, business innovators, and inventors with nanotechnology solutions.
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University
Houston
The Electrochemical Nanofabrication and Nanomaterials Synthesis Group studies electrochemical interfaces and their use to produce nanomaterials and nanostructures for sensors, magnetic materials, thin films, electrocatalysis, and nanofabrication.
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University
Houston
The Karim Research Group studies sustainable materials, nanomaterials for energy, directed self-assembly, and phase behavior in the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
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University
Houston
The University of Houston Nanofabrication Facility is an open-access shared user facility providing microfabrication, nanofabrication, and imaging technology for building and inspecting microscopic devices.
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University
Houston
The Tianfu Wu Laboratory at the University of Houston conducts biomedical engineering research involving nanoscale and bioengineering platforms.
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University
Houston
The Krishnan Nanotechnology and Radiation Biology Laboratory designs, fabricates, characterizes, and validates nanoparticles for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including radiation sensitization and physical energy therapeutics.
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Nanotech Companies
Commercial nanotechnology companies based in the Greater Houston area.
Products
Houston
A scientific instrument company formed to supply the carbon nanotube community with unique, specialized optical instrumentation for sample characterization.
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Products
Houston
C-Bond Systems is a Houston-based nanotechnology company that develops and manufactures patented C-Bond technology for strengthening, protecting and improving the performance of glass and window film products.
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Products
Houston
Curran Biotech is a materials manufacturing company that provides nanocoatings and surface-treatment technologies, including Capture Coating products for filters and other applications in biochemical, chemical, energy, construction, fabric and filtration markets.
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Materials
Houston
DexMat produces Galvorn, an advanced carbon nanotube material engineered for high conductivity, strength, light weight and flexibility, with applications in aerospace and defense, wire and cable, automotive and next-generation energy transmission infrastructure.
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Biomedical
Houston
The company is focused on the use of fullerene carbon nanotubes for novel therapeutic applications specifically in the area of cancer treatment. The company's extensive carbon nanotube-related, worldwide intellectual property portfolio includes discoveries by the late Nobel Prize winner Dr Rick Smalley. The use of fullerene carbon nanotubes has the goal of solving two important problems for many cancer therapeutics, that of delivering large active agents into the desired location and of protecting normal tissue from the active agent during delivery.
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Materials
Houston
Manufacturer and supplier of nanoscale metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, diamond, carbon nanotubes for research and industry.
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Materials
Houston
Nissan Chemical America Corporation produces colloidal silicas and metal oxide solutions for scratch-resistant coatings for eyeglass lenses, automobile clear coats, and many other plastic parts needing protective coatings. The company also produce high-purity colloidal silicas used in the production of polishing slurries for the semiconductor industry. Their colloidal silicas are also used in the manufacture of synthetic fibers and textiles.
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Biomedical
Houston
Plus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing targeted radiotherapeutics and nanoliposome-based therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers, including central nervous system cancers and leptomeningeal metastases.
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Materials
Houston
SES Research is the first manufacturer to provide commercial quantities of Carbon Nano materials. SES Research has been providing high quality Carbon Nano materials to the research community for over two decades. With orders as small as 100 milligrams and as large as 5 kilograms, SES Research is the largest supplier of Carbon Nano materials, often supplying other fullerene suppliers with their raw materials.
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Materials
Houston
SkySpring Nanomaterials offers nano-sized powders, nanopowder dispersions, micro-sized powders and bulk materials in small quantity for researchers and in bulk order for industry groups.
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Products
Houston
Syzygy Plasmonics builds light-powered reactor systems and photocatalytic technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel, methanol, syngas and hydrogen with lower emissions. Its all-electric GHG e-Reforming reactor converts methane and carbon dioxide feedstocks into syngas for clean fuels.
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Materials
Houston
US Research Nanomaterials manufactures and supplies carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphene, metal nanoparticles, alloy nanoparticles, oxide nanoparticles, rare earth oxide nanoparticles, compound nanoparticles, nanopowders and nanoparticle dispersions for research and industrial applications.
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Find Accommodation
Hotels & Accommodation in Greater Houston
Planning a lab visit, conference, or interview? Find hotels, apartments, and hostels near the area’s research institutions and nanotech companies.
Related Events
Check the Nanowerk event calendar for upcoming nanotechnology conferences and workshops in this area.