Frederic Sansoz, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering, University of Vermont. Photo credit: Joshua Brown, University of Vermont

Nanotechnology today is pushing the limits in areas like energy production, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence.

“Increasing strength and plasticity in metallic materials has long changed history,” says Frederic Sansoz, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont. “For example, think about the invention of steels and the industrial revolution.” 

Sure, metallurgy advanced by leaps and bounds in the 20th century, but that progress will likely seem medieval soon. Coming innovations could include such mind-blowing advances as neuromorphic computing, in which silver nanowires are used as energy efficient artificial brains in next-generation artificial intelligence microprocessors.

After earning his Ph.D. in engineering in France, Sansoz had an opportunity to conduct research abroad for two years. He was drawn to the United States after his Ph.D. advisor explained that research is conducted differently there, with a sense of intellectual independence powering young U.S. scientists.

“This independence was exciting to me,” remembers Sansoz. “The initial idea was for me to learn new skills in the U.S. and return to France to apply them as an engineer or scientist at a company. Deep down, however, I always knew I wanted to teach students along with conducting research. After two years, I decided to stay in the U.S. to become a university professor in a hot new area in the early 2000s called nanotechnology.”

Sansoz and his research group at UVM have been focusing on silver because it has the highest electrical conductivity and is a very soft metal. They use nanotechnology to make this prototypical metal ultra-strong without changing its electrical quality.

So what developments represent the most intriguing possibilities for nanotechnology to Sansoz?

First, “nanoscale thermoelectrics, where one could use nanomaterials to convert waste heat back into electricity. My team has done some theoretical work a few years ago on the use of nanoscale twins to enhance thermoelectric figure-of-merit in silicon.”

Secondly, Sansoz emphasized that neuromorphic computing will enable more efficient and powerful machines with materials that act like neural networks. 

“A human brain can make very complex decisions without generating much heat,” says Sansoz. “By analogy, imagine a desktop computer with super artificial intelligence that is not required to be cooled down!”

What does this nanotech scientist do when he’s not thinking “small?” 

“I do have a big passion for mountain biking at the moment,” says Sansoz. “It started with my son’s interest in the sport three years ago. Now I am training and racing enduro [a bike designed for going fast on difficult downhill trails] around in the Northeast, and posting videos on a YouTube channel about it.”