In recent years, many universities have opened courses to increase students' knowledge in the field of nanotechnology. These have been shown to increase students' knowledge of nanotechnology, but beyond this, advanced and applied nanotechnology courses should also focus on learning motivation and scientific enquiry abilities to equip students to develop the deeper knowledge and skills required for scientific application. This paper addresses this challenge. Due to the abstract nature of many nanotechnology concepts and in order to move from abstract knowledge to hands-on learning, an inquiry-based learning approach was adopted. Among the diverse inquiry-based learning models proposed, the 5E mobile inquiry-based approach, including the steps of engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation, was considered most effective to enhance learners' understanding of nanotechnology. To evaluate the effectiveness of this proposed approach, a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted with a total of 32 university students. Two sections of Nanotechnology Engineering, a general education course, were randomly assigned as either the comparison group (18 students; receiving lecture-based instruction, and using mobile devices) or the experimental group (14 students; receiving 5E inquiry learning, and using mobile devices). Mobile devices were adopted to enhance learners' experience, provide immediate access to information online, and provide enhanced hands-on learning. The empirical results demonstrate that the experimental condition, 5E mobile inquiry learning, had a positive impact on participants' learning motivation and scientific inquiry abilities.