Learn what one of the world's top scientist has to say about thin film photovoltaics and what you can expect in coming years.

This is what I continually harp on: Nanotech isn’t just one thing; it’s an enabling technology that has the ability to change the way we do almost everything, from the mundane to the esoteric.

Although most penny stocks are best avoided, there’s one I’ve been following for some time—Industrial Nanotech. I really think it has a unique product and a good business plan.

The major press was all over a study that came out a couple weeks ago observing carbon nanotubes and C60 buckyballs (or fullerenes) to have potential carcinogenic pathologies.

There were two significant stories in nano-land recently that put the “now” and “future” for nanotech into clearer focus.

Nanotechnology was all the rage just a few years ago, with everyone buying into the sexiest stories they could find. Now that hype has moved toward clean and green techs. What's the difference?

Contributing Editor Tim Harper provides insight on a major nanotechnology instrument manufacturer that he's followed for years. Although previously only focused on getting out the latest and greatest tools, it's now looking toward growing as a company as well.

FEI Co (which stands for Field Emission Industries, www.fei.com) is often the first name to be added to any list of publicly traded nanotechnology companies. It falls into the "picks and shovels" cliché so beloved of pundits--as in, in a gold rush, the only people who get rich are those making the picks and shovels.

As investors begin to see through the smokescreen of hype surrounding some nanotech companies, backing from venture firms is looking shaky.

Call me a relentless optimist if you like. But it’s hard not to notice there are a lot of positives here in mid-2007.