Dr. JITHIN M dr.jithin90@gmail.

com
Head and Assistant professor
KR'S SN College, Valanchery

Carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are cylindrical molecules that consist of rolled-up sheets of
single-layer carbon atoms (graphene). They can be single-walled (SWCNT) with a diameter of
less than 1 nanometer (nm) or multi-walled (MWCNT), consisting of several concentrically
interlinked nanotubes, with diameters reaching more than 100 nm. Their length can reach several
micrometers or even millimeters.
Like their building block graphene, CNTs are chemically bonded with sp2 bonds, an
extremely strong form of molecular interaction. This feature combined with carbon nanotubes’
natural inclination to rope together via van der Waals forces, provide the opportunity to develop
ultra-high strength, low-weight materials that possess highly conductive electrical and thermal
properties. This makes them highly attractive for numerous applications.
The rolling-up direction (rolling-up or chiral vector) of the graphene layers determines
the electrical properties of the nanotubes. Chirality describes the angle of the nanotube's
hexagonal carbon-atom lattice.
Armchair nanotubes – so called because of the armchair-like shape of their edges – have
identical chiral indices and are highly desired for their perfect conductivity. They are
unlike zigzag nanotubes, which may be semiconductors. Turning a graphene sheet a mere 30
degrees will change the nanotube it forms from armchair to zigzag or vice versa.
While MWCNTs are always conducting and achieve at least the same level of
conductivity as metals, SWCNTs' conductivity depends on their chiral vector: they can behave
like a metal and be electrically conducting; display the properties of a semi-conductor; or be non-
conducting. For example, a slight change in the pitch of the helicity can transform the tube from
a metal into a large-gap semiconductor.

Apart from their electrical properties, which they inherit from graphene, CNTs also have
unique thermal and mechanical properties that make them intriguing for the development of new
materials:
Their mechanical tensile strength can be 400 times that of steel;
They are very light-weight – their density is one sixth of that of steel;
Their thermal conductivity is better than that of diamond;
 They have a very high aspect ratio greater than 1000, i.e. in relation to their length they are
extremely thin;
A tip-surface area near the theoretical limit (the smaller the tip-surface area, the more
concentrated the electric field, and the greater the field enhancement factor);
Just like graphite, they are highly chemically stable and resist virtually any chemical impact
unless they are simultaneously exposed to high temperatures and oxygen - a property that makes
them extremely resistant to corrosion;
Their hollow interior can be filled with various nanomaterials, separating and shielding them
from the surrounding environment - a property that is extremely useful for nanomedicine
applications like drug delivery.
All these properties make carbon nanotubes ideal candidates for electronic devices,
chemical/electrochemical and biosensors, transistors, electron field emitters, lithium-ion
batteries, white light sources, hydrogen storage cells, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), electrostatic
discharge (ESD) and electrical-shielding applications.

Carbon nanotube uses and applications

CNTs are well-suited for virtually any application requiring high strength, durability,
electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and lightweight properties compared to
conventional materials.

Currently, CNTs are mainly used as additives to synthetics. CNTs are commercially
available as a powder, i.e. in a highly tangled-up and agglomerated form. For CNTs to unfold
their particular properties they need to be untangled and spread evenly in the substrate.

Another requirement is that CNTs need to be chemically bonded with the substrate, e.g. a
plastic material. For that purpose, CNTs are functionalized, i.e. their surface is chemically
adapted for optimal incorporation into different materials and for the specific application in
question.

Carbon nanotubes can also be spun into fibers, which not only promise interesting
possibilities for specialty textiles but may also help realize a particularly utopian project –
the space elevator.

Materials
 Carbon nanotube enabled nanocomposites have received much attention as a highly
attractive alternative to conventional composite materials due to their mechanical, electrical,
thermal, barrier and chemical properties such as electrical conductivity, increased tensile
strength, improved heat deflection temperature, or flame retardancy.

These materials promise to offer increased wear resistance and breaking strength, antistatic
properties as well as weight reduction. For instance, it has been estimated that advanced CNT
composites could reduce the weight of aircraft and spacecraft by up to 30%.

These composite materials already find use in

Sporting goods(bicycle frames, tennis rackets, hockey sticks, golf clubs and balls, skis,
kayaks; sports arrows)

Yachting (masts, hulls and other parts of sailboats)

Textiles (antistatic and electrically conducting textiles ('smart textiles'); bullet-proof vests,
water-resistant and flame-retardant textiles)

Automotive, aeronautics and space (light-weight, high-strength structural composites)

Industrial engineering (e.g. coating of wind-turbine rotor blades, industrial robot arms)

Electrostatic charge protection (for instance, researchers have a developed electrically

conducting and flexible CNT film specifically for space applications) and radiation shielding
with CNT-based nanofoams and aerogels.
Catalysis
What makes carbon nanotubes so attractive for catalysis is their exceptionally high
surface area combined with the ability to attach essentially any chemical species to their
sidewalls. Already, CNTs have been used as catalysts in many relevant chemical processes;
however, controlling their catalytic activity is not easy.

Initially, carbon nanotubes have been combined with molecules via very strong bonds
(covalent bonds) that lead to very stable compounds. Such connection, however, implies a
change in the structure of the nanotube and therefore in its properties.
 It would be analogous to nailing an advertisement to a post using a thumbtack: the union
is strong, but it leaves a hole in both the advertisement and the post. Weak non-covalent forces
have also been used, which keep the structure of the nanotubes intact, but typically yield
kinetically unstable compounds. The comparison in this case would be to tape the advert to the
post. Neither the advertisement nor the post is damaged, but the union is much weaker.

To overcome this issue, researchers already are developing methods for the chemical
modification of carbon nanotubes by mechanical bonding, the first example of mechanically
interlocked carbon nanotubes (MINTs). This type of compounds is as stable as covalent
compounds, but at the same time as respectful of the initial structure as the non-covalent
compounds.

Transistors
Despite the rise of graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials, semiconducting
single-walled carbon nanotubes are still regarded as strong candidates for the next generation of
high-performance, ultra-scaled and thin-film transistors as well as for opto-electronic devices to
replace silicon electronics.

One of the crucial questions is if CNT transistors can offer performance advantages over silicon
at sub-10 nm lengths.

There have been mixed opinions in the nanoelectronics community regarding whether or not
CNT transistors would maintain their impressive performance at extremely scaled lengths. Some
argued that the very small effective mass of the carriers would contribute to tunneling
phenomena that would cause the devices to breakdown around 15 nm – an opinion supported by
the few theoretical studies that explored nanotube devices at such dimensions.

Meanwhile, others remained convinced that the ultrathin body of single-walled carbon nanotubes
– only 1 nm in diameter – would allow for excellent transistor behavior even down to the sub-10
nm range. So far researchers have achieved only promising experimental results and at this point
there remain numerous challenges related to integrating CNT transistors into industrial-scale
chip manufacturing.
Sensors
The group of Cees Dekker paved the way for the development of CNT-based
electrochemical nanosensors by demonstrating the possibilities of SWCNTs as quantum wires
and their effectiveness in the development of field-effect transistors.

Many studies have shown that although CNTs are robust and inert structures, their
electrical properties are extremely sensitive to the effects of charge transfer and chemical doping
by various molecules.

Most sensors based on CNTs are field effect transistors (FET) – although CNT are robust
and inert structures, their electrical properties are extremely sensitive to the effects of charge
transfer and chemical doping by various molecules. CNTs-FETs have been widely used to detect
gases such as greenhouse gases in environmental applications.

The functionalization of CNTs is important for making them selective to the target
analyte. Different types of sensors are based on molecular recognition interactions between
functionalism CNT and target analytes.

Nano inks
Ink formulations based on CNT dispersions are attractive for printed electronics
applications such as transparent electrodes, RFID tags, thin-film transistors, light-emitting
devices, and solar cells.

Electrodes
Carbon nanotubes have been widely used as electrodes for chemical and biological
sensing applications and many other electrochemical studies. With their unique one-dimensional
molecular geometry of a large surface area coupled with their excellent electrical properties,
CNTs have become important materials for the molecular engineering of electrode surfaces
where the development of electrochemical devices with region-specific electron-transfer
capabilities is of paramount importance.

Displays
Given their high electrical conductivity, and the incredible sharpness of their tip (the
smaller the tips' radius of curvature, the more concentrated the electric field, the higher field
emission), carbon nanotubes are considered the most promising material for field emitters and a
practical example are CNTs as electron emitters for field emission displays (FED).

Field emission display (FED) technology makes possible a new class of large area, high
resolution, low cost flat panel displays. However, FED manufacturing requires CNT to be grown
in precise sizes and densities. Height, diameter and tip sharpness affect voltage, while density
affects current.

Buckypapers
Buckypapers could find numerous applications: As one of the most thermally conductive
materials known, buckypaper could lead to the development of more efficient heat sinks for
chips; a more energy-efficient and lighter background illumination material for displays; a
protective material for electronic circuits from electromagnetic interference due to its unusually
high current-carrying capacity; or switchable surfaces.

Optoelectronic and photonic applications

While individual nanotubes generate discrete fine peaks in optical absorption and
emission, macroscopic structures consisting of many CNTs gathered together also demonstrate
interesting optical behavior.

For example, a millimeter-long bundle of aligned MWCNTs emits polarized

incandescent light by electrical current heating and SWCNT bundles are giving higher brightness
emission at lower voltage compared with conventional tungsten filaments.

Nanomedicine and biotechnology

Carbon nanomaterials such as nanotubes or graphene not only are widely researched for
their potential uses in industrial applications, they also are of great interest to biomedical
engineers working on nanotechnology applications.

There is considerable interest in using CNTs for various biomedical applications. The
physical properties of CNTs, such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and optical
properties, could be of great value for creating advanced biomaterials.

Carbon nanotubes can also be chemically modified to present specific moieties (e.g.,
functional groups, molecules, and polymers) to impart properties suited for biological
applications, such as increased solubility and biocompatibility, enhanced material compatibility
and cellular responsiveness.Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for instance have been developed
for drug delivery applications.

However, the issue of cytotoxicity of CNTs is an area that has already attracted much
research interest and has not resulted in a definitive answer yet. Given the inconclusive state of
these nanotoxicology studies researchers says that more systematic biological evaluations of
CNTs having various chemical and physical properties are warranted in order to determine their
precise pharmacokinetics, cytotoxicity, and optimal dosages.

Filtration
High-flow membranes are an important part of future energy-efficient water purification.
Already, researchers have demonstrated efficient water transport in carbon nanotubes with
openings of less than one nanometer.

When embedded in fatty membranes, the nanotubes squeeze entering water molecules
into a single file chain, which leads to very fast transport. The flow was 10 times faster than in
wider carbon nanotubes and 6 times faster than in the best biological membrane, a protein called
aquaporin.

Carbon nanotubes also have been used to demonstrate protective textiles with ultra
breathable membranes. These membranes provide rates of water vapor transport that surpass
those of commercial breathable fabrics like GoreTex, even though the CNT pores are only a few
nanometers wide.

Crucially, they also provide protection from biological agents due to their very small pore
size, less than 5 nanometers wide. Biological threats like bacteria or viruses are much larger and
typically more than 10-nm in size.

In order to make these membranes also protect from chemical agents, who are much smaller in
size, researchers modified the CNT surfaces with chemical-threat-responsive functional groups.
 Nanoelectronics –
Nanotechnology in Electronics
The term nanoelectronics refer to the use of nanotechnology in electronic components.
These components are often only a few nanometers in size. However, the tinier electronic
components become, the harder they are to manufacture.
Nanoelectronics covers a diverse set of devices and materials, with the common
characteristic that they are so small that physical effects alter the materials properties on a
nanoscale – inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical properties play a significant role
in the workings of these devices. At the nanoscale, new phenomena take precedence over those
that hold sway in the macro-world. Quantum effects such as tunneling and atomistic disorder
dominate the characteristics of these nanoscale devices
The first transistors built in 1947 were over 1 centimeter in size; the smallest working
transistor today is 7 nanometers long – over 1.4 million times smaller (1 cm equals 10 million
nanometers). The results of these efforts are billion-transistor processors where, once industry
embraces 7nm manufacturing techniques, 20 billion transistor-based circuits are integrated into a
single chip.

Nanoelectronic Devices
Spintronics
Besides transistors, nanoelectronic devices play a role in data storage (memory).
Here, spintronics – the study and exploitation in solid-state devices of electron spin and its
associated magnetic moment, along with electric charge – is already an established technology.
Spintronics also plays a role in new technologies that exploit quantum behavior for computing.

Optoelectronics

Electronic devices that source, detect and control light – i.e. optoelectronic devices –
come in many shapes and forms. Highly energy-efficient (less heat generation and power
consumption) optical communications are increasingly important because they have the potential
to solve one of the biggest problems of our information age: energy consumption.
 In the field of nanotechnology, materials like nanofibers and carbon nanotubes have been
used and especially graphene has shown exciting potential for optoelectronic devices.

Displays
Display technologies can be grouped into three broad technology areas; Organic LEDs,
electronic paper and other devices intended to show still images, and Field Emission Displays.

Wearable, flexible electronics

The age of wearable electronics is upon us as witnessed by the fast growing array of
smart watches, fitness bands and other advanced, next-generation health monitoring devices such
as electronic stick-on tattoos.
If current research is an indicator, wearable electronics will go far beyond just very small
electronic devices or wearable, flexible computers. Not only will these devices be embedded in
textile substrates but an electronics device or system could ultimately become the fabric itself.
Electronic textiles (e-textiles) will allow the design and production of a new generation of
garments with distributed sensors and electronic functions. Such e-textiles will have the
revolutionary ability to sense, act, store, emit, and move – think biomedical monitoring functions
or new man-machine interfaces – while ideally leveraging an existing low-cost textile
manufacturing infrastructure.

Nanoelectronics in Energy

Solar cells and supercapacitors are examples of areas where nanoelectronics are playing a
major role in energy generation and storage.

Molecular Electronics
Distinct from nanoelectronics, where devices are scaled down to nanoscale levels,
molecular electronics deals with electronic processes that occur in molecular structures such as
those found in nature, from photosynthesis to signal transduction.
Molecular electronics aims at the fundamental understanding of charge transport through
molecules and is motivated by the vision of molecular circuits to enable miniscule, powerful and
energy efficient computers.
 Nanotechnology in Energy
Nanotechnologies provide the potential to enhance energy efficiency across all branches
of industry and to economically leverage renewable energy production through new
technological solutions and optimized production technologies. Nanotechnology innovations
could impact each part of the value-added chain in the energy sector:
Energy sources

Nanotechnologies provide essential improvement potentials for the development of both

conventional energy sources (fossil and nuclear fuels) and renewable energy sources like
geothermal energy, sun, wind, water, tides or biomass. Nano-coated, wear resistant drill probes,
for example, allow the optimization of lifespan and efficiency of systems for the development of
oil and natural gas deposits or geothermal energy and thus the saving of costs. Further examples
are high-duty nanomaterials for lighter and more rugged rotor blades of wind and tidepower
plants as well as wear and corrosion protection layers for mechanically stressed components
(bearings, gear boxes, etc.). Nanotechnologies will play a decisive role in particular in the
intensified use of solar energy through photovoltaic systems. In case of conventional crystalline
silicon solar cells, for instance, increases in efficiency are achievable by antireflection layers for
higher light yield.
First and foremost, however, it will be the further development of alternative cell types,
such as thin-layer solar cells (among others of silicon or other material systems like
copper/indium/selenium), dye solar cells or polymer solar cells, which will predominantly profit
from nanotechnologies. Polymer solar cells are said to have high potential especially regarding
the supply of portable electronic devices, due to the reasonably-priced materials and production
methods as well as the flexible design. Medium-term development targets are an efficiency of
approx. 10% and a lifespan of several years. Here, for example, nanotechnologies could
contribute to the optimization of the layer design and the morphology of organic semiconductor
mixtures in component structures. In the long run, the utilization of nanostructures, like quantum
dots and wires, could allow for solar cell efficiencies of over 60%.
Energy conversion

The conversion of primary energy sources into electricity, heat and kinetic energy
requires utmost efficiency. Efficiency increases, especially in fossil-fired gas and steam power
plants, could help avoid considerable amounts of carbon dioxide emissions.
Higher power plant efficiencies, however, require higher operating temperatures and thus heat-
resistant turbine materials. Improvements are possible, for example, through nano-scale heat and
corrosion protection layers for turbine blades in power plants or aircraft engines to enhance the
efficiency through increased operating temperatures or the application of lightweight
construction materials (e.g. titanium aluminides).
Nano-optimized membranes can extend the scope of possibilities for separation and
climate-neutral storage of carbon dioxide for power generation in coal-fired power plants, in
order to render this important method of power generation environmentally friendlier in the long
run. The energy yield from the conversion of chemical energy through fuel cells can be stepped
up by nano-structured electrodes, catalysts and membranes, which results in economic
application possibilities in automobiles, buildings and the operation of mobile electronics.
Thermoelectric energy conversion seems to be comparably promising. Nano-structured
semiconductors with optimized boundary layer design contribute to increases in efficiency that
could pave the way for a broad application in the utilization of waste heat, for example in
automobiles, or even of human body heat for portable electronics in textiles.
Energy distribution

Regarding the reduction of energy losses in current transmission, hope exists that the
extraordinary electric conductivity of nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes can be utilized for
application in electric cables and power lines. Furthermore, there are nanotechnological
approaches for the optimization of superconductive materials for lossless current conduction.
In the long run, options are given for wireless energy transport, e.g. through laser, microwaves or
electromagnetic resonance. Future power distribution will require power systems providing
dynamic load and failure management, demand-driven energy supply with flexible price
mechanisms as well as the possibility of feeding through a number of decentralized renewable
energy sources.
 Nanotechnologies could contribute decisively to the realization of this vision, inter alia,
through nano-sensory devices and power-electronical components able to cope with the
extremely complex control and monitoring of such grids.
Energy storage

The utilization of nanotechnologies for the enhancement of electrical energy stores like
batteries and super-capacitors turns out to be downright promising. Due to the high cell voltage
and the outstanding energy and power density, the lithium-ion technology is regarded as the most
promising variant of electrical energy storage.
Nanotechnologies can improve capacity and safety of lithium-ion batteries decisively, as
for example through new ceramic, heat-resistant and still flexible separators and high-
performance electrode materials. The company Evonik pushes the commercialization of such
systems for the application in hybrid and electric vehicles as well as for stationary energy
storage.
In the long run, even hydrogen seems to be a promising energy store for environmentally-
friendly energy supply. Apart from necessary nanostructure adjustments, the efficient storage of
hydrogen is regarded as one of the critical factors of success on the way to a possible hydrogen
management.
Current materials for chemical hydrogen storage do not meet the demands of the
automotive industry, which requires a hydrogen-storage capacity of up to ten weight percent.
Various nanomaterials, inter alia based on nanoporous metal-organic compounds, provide
development potentials, which seem to be economically realizable at least with regard to the
operation of fuel cells in portable electronic devices.
Another important field is thermal energy storage. The energy demand in buildings, for
example, may be significantly reduced by using phase change materials such as latent heat
stores. Interesting, from an economic point of view, are also adsorption stores based on
nanoporous materials like zeolites, which could be applied as heat stores in district heating grids
or in industry. The adsorption of water in zeolite allows the reversible storage and release of
heat.
Energy usage

To achieve sustainable energy supply, and parallel to the optimized development of

available energy sources, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of energy use and to avoid
unnecessary energy consumption. This applies to all branches of industry and private
households. Nanotechnologies provide a multitude of approaches to energy saving.
Examples are the reduction of fuel consumption in automobiles through lightweight construction
materials on the basis of nanocomposites, the optimization in fuel combustion through wear-
resistant, lighter engine components and nanoparticular fuel additives or even nanoparticles for
optimized tires with low rolling resistance.
Considerable energy savings are realizable through tribological layers for mechanical
components in plants and machines. Building technology also provides great potentials for
energy savings, which could be tapped, for example, by nanoporous thermal insulation material
suitably applicable in the energetic rehabilitation of old buildings.
In general, the control of light and heat flux by nanotechnological components, as for
example switchable glasses, is a promising approach to reducing energy consumption in
buildings.

Nanomedicine
For centuries, man has searched for miracle cures to end suffering caused by disease and
injury. Many researchers believe nanotechnology applications in medicine may be mankind’s
first 'giant step' toward this goal. According to Robert A. Freitas, nanomedicine is

1) The comprehensive monitoring, control, construction, repair, defense, and improvement of all
human biological systems, working from the molecular level, using engineered nanodevices and
nanostructures;

2) The science and technology of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease and traumatic
injury, of relieving pain, and of preserving and improving human health, using molecular tools
and molecular knowledge of the human body;

3) The employment of molecular machine systems to address medical problems, using molecular
knowledge to maintain and improve human health at the molecular scale.
 Nanotechnology in healthcare not only has the potential to change medical science
dramatically and as part of beneficial nanotechnology in developing countries, but to open a new
field of human enhancements that is poised to add a profound and complex set of ethical
questions for health care professionals.

For instance, there is a fine line between medical and non-medical uses of
nanotechnology for diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive purposes (e.g. non-medical implants
in soldiers). The question of whether nanotechnology should be used to make intentional changes
in or to the body when the change is not medically necessary is just one hot topic in a long list of
concerns.

According to an expert group of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency Source

("Reflection paper on nanotechnology-based medicinal products for human use"), "the majority
of current commercial applications of nanotechnology to medicine is geared towards drug
delivery to enable new modes of action, as well as better targeting and bioavailability of existing
medicinal substances. Novel applications of nanotechnology include nanostructure scaffolds for
tissue replacement, nanostructures that allow transport across biological barriers, remote control
of nanoprobes, integrated implantable sensory nanoelectronic systems and multifunctional
chemical structures for drug delivery and targeting of disease."

The medical advances that may be possible through nanotechnology range from
diagnostic to therapeutic, and everything in between. A recent ObservatoryNano report
lists nanotechnological applications in health and medicine . The two main areas in
nanomedicine are:

Nanomedicine Diagnostics

In the past few decades, imaging has become a critical tool in the diagnosis of disease.
The advances in the form of magnetic resonance and computer tomography are remarkable, but
nanotechnology promises sensitive and extremely accurate tools for in vitro and in
vivo diagnostics far beyond the reach of today’s state-of-the-art equipment.
 As with any advance in diagnostics, the ultimate goal is to enable physicians to identify a
disease as early as possible. Nanotechnology is expected to make diagnosis possible at the
cellular and even the sub-cellular level.

Nanomedicine Therapy

In terms of therapy, the most significant impact of nanomedicine is expected to be

realized in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Nanoparticles enable physicians to target
drugs at the source of the disease, which increases efficiency and minimizes side effects. They
also offer new possibilities for the controlled release of therapeutic substances. Nanoparticles are
also used to stimulate the body’s innate repair mechanisms. A major focus of this research is
artificial activation and control of adult stem cells.

Peptide amphiphiles that support cell growth to treat spinal cord injury; magnetic
nanoparticles and enzyme-sensitive nanoparticle coatings that target brain tumors; smart
nanoparticle probes for intracellular drug delivery and gene expression imaging, and quantum
dots that detect and quantify human breast cancer biomarkers are just a few of the advances
researchers have already made.

Interestingly enough, there could be massive shifts in economic value among

pharmaceutical companies. While the new nanomedicines open up enormous market and profit
potentials, entire classes of existing pharmaceuticals such as chemotherapy agents worth billions
of dollars in annual revenue would be displaced.

Other areas that are increasingly attracting interest from nanotechnology researchers are tissue
engineering, nanosurgery, and nanoparticle-enabled diagnostics and drug delivery.

Nanotechnology to cure diseases has many potential impacts on cancer research, especially
cancer drugs. In particular, this technology can help facilitate research and improve molecular
imaging, early detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer.

Nanotechnology to Cure Diseases

There are plenty of examples where nanotechnology is being applied to cure cancer and other
diseases. Here are some recent ones:
Alzheimer's disease

Lung disease

Common causes of blindness

Acne

Nanotechnology's role in HIV AIDS treatment

Dendrimer nanomedicine – developing efficient therapeutic strategies for the treatment of

neurological disorders, Enhancing radiation therapy with nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology and the Environment

Nanotechnological products, processes and applications are expected to contribute

significantly to environmental and climate protection by saving raw materials, energy and water
as well as by reducing greenhouse gases and hazardous wastes. Using nanomaterials therefore
promises certain environmental benefits and sustainability effects.

Note, however, that nanotechnology currently plays a rather subordinate role in

environmental protection, whether it be in research or in practical applications. Environmental
engineering companies themselves attach only limited importance to nanotechnology in their
respective fields.

Potential environmental benefits

Rising prices for raw materials and energy, coupled with the increasing environmental
awareness of consumers, are responsible for a flood of products on the market that promise
certain advantages for environmental and climate protection. Nanomaterials exhibit special
physical and chemical properties that make them interesting for novel, environmentally friendly
products.
 Examples include the increased durability of materials against mechanical stress or
weathering, helping to increase the useful life of a product; nanotechnology-based dirt- and
water-resistant coatings to reduce cleaning efforts; novel insulation materials to improve the
energy efficiency of buildings; adding nanoparticles to a material to reduce weight and save
energy during transport.

In the chemical industry sector, nanomaterials are applied based on their special catalytic
properties in order to boost energy and resource efficiency, and nanomaterials can replace
environmentally problematic chemicals in certain fields of application.

High hopes are being placed in nanotechnologically optimized products and processes for
energy production and storage; these are currently in the development phase and are slated to
contribute significantly to climate protection and solving our energy problems in the future.

In most commercially available “nano-consumer products“, environmental protection is

not the primary goal. Neither textiles with nanosilver to combat perspiration odor, nor especially
stable golf clubs with carbon nanotubes, help protect the environment. Manufacturers often
promise such advantages, typically without providing the relevant evidence. Examples include
self-cleaning surface coatings or textiles with spot protection, with are advertized as reducing the
cleaning effort and therefore saving energy, water and cleaning agents.

Specific examples of nanotechnology applications that benefit the environment

Nanotechnology could make battery recycling economically attractive

Many batteries still contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can
contaminate the environment and pose a potential threat to human health when batteries are
improperly disposed of. Not only do the billions upon billions of batteries in landfills pose an
environmental problem, they also are a complete waste of a potential and cheap raw material.
Nanomaterials for radioactive waste clean-up in water

Scientists are working on nanotechnology solution for radioactive waste cleanup,

specifically the use of titanate nanofibers as absorbents for the removal of radioactive ions from
water. Researchers have also reported that the unique structural properties of titanate nanotubes
and nanofibers make them superior materials for removal of radioactive cesium and iodine
ions in water.

Nanotechnology-based solutions for oil spills

Conventional clean-up techniques are not adequate to solve the problem of massive oil spills. In
recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a potential source of novel solutions to many of the
world's outstanding problems. Although the application of nanotechnology for oil spill cleanup is
still in its nascent stage, it offers great promise for the future. In the last couple of years, there
has been particularly growing interest worldwide in exploring ways of finding suitable solutions
to clean up oil spills through use of nanomaterials.

Water applications

The potential impact areas for nanotechnology in water applications are divided into three
categories – treatment and remediation, sensing and detection, and pollution prevention and the
improvement of desalination technologies is one key area thereof.

Nanotechnology-based water purification devices have the potential to transform the field
of desalination, for instance by using the ion concentration polarization phenomenon.

Another, relatively new method of purifying brackish water is capacitive

deionization (CDI) technology. The advantages of CDI are that it has no secondary pollution, is
cost-effective and energy efficient. Nanotechnology researchers have developed a CDI
application that uses graphene-like nanoflakes as electrodes for capacitive deionization. They
found that the graphene electrodes resulted in a better CDI performance than the conventionally
used activated carbon materials.

Carbon dioxide capture

Before CO2 can be stored in Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) schemes, it
must be separated from the other waste gases resulting from combustion or industrial processes.
Most current methods used for this type of filtration are expensive and require the use of
chemicals. Nanotechnology techniques to fabricate nanoscale thin membranes could lead to new
membrane technology that could change that.
Hydrogen production from sunlight – artificial photosynthesis

Companies developing hydrogen-powered technologies like to wrap themselves in the

green glow of environmentally friendly technology that will save the planet. While hydrogen fuel
indeed is a clean energy carrier, the source of that hydrogen often is as dirty as it gets. The
problem is that you can't dig a well to tap hydrogen, but hydrogen has to be produced, and that
can be done using a variety of resources.

The dirtiest method – at least until highly efficient carbon capture and sequestration
technologies are developed – is the gasification of. The cleanest by far would be renewable
energy electrolysis: using renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geo- and
hydrothermal power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Artificial photosynthesis, using solar energy to split water generating hydrogen and
oxygen, can offer a clean and portable source of energy supply as durable as the sunlight. It takes
about 2.5 volts to break a single water molecule down into oxygen along with negatively charged
electrons and positively charged protons. It is the extraction and separation of these oppositely
charged electrons and protons from water molecules that provides the electric power.

Working on the nanoscale, researchers have shown that an inexpensive and

environmentally benign inorganic light harvesting nanocrystal array can be combined with a
low-cost electrocatalyst that contains abundant elements to fabricate an inexpensive and stable
system for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production.