nanomaterial

Any material with at least one dimension in the nanoscale range, roughly 1 to 100 nanometres. Examples include graphene, which is one atom thick; carbon nanotubes; nanowires; and nanoparticles.

In neurotechnology, nanomaterials are used to make the parts of a device that touch the brain thinner, more flexible and closer to the softness of tissue, and in some cases transparent. The aim is a device the body tolerates for longer and that records more cleanly.

Documented real-world example: the transparent brain-computer interfaces built at UC San Diego use a graphene electrode array thin and clear enough for a microscope to see through it.

Related terms: nanotechnology, graphene, injectable mesh electronics, transparent brain-computer interfaces

Sources: Just How Small Is Nano? — U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative; Transparent Brain-Computer Interface Uses AI and Nanotech — Psychology Today (Cami Rosso, 24 Jan 2024)