Nanotechnology and sustainability
A different future
begins at
a different scale.
Explore what nanotechnology can contribute to a more sustainable world. Through science, education and the questions that matter.
Explore the nanoscale ↗Applications →Discover NanoInventum →
A world on our scale
Leaves and branches: the world we can touch.
Conceptual illustrations, not micrographs. The size indicates the width of the field shown; each scene is a scale reference rather than a continuous microscopic zoom.
Small does not mean sustainable.
Efficiency is only the beginning. We need to consider materials, energy, safety and everything that happens afterwards.
Raw materials
Where do they come from? What resources, water and energy are needed to obtain them?
Manufacturing
How is it made? What processes, reagents and exposures are involved?
Use and durability
How long does it last? Can it be maintained, repaired and used safely?
Recovery
What happens afterwards? Can the material be separated, reused or recovered?
02 / Applications
Three challenges. Many scales.
From potential to context: what nanotechnology offers, what we know and what remains to be tested.
Clean water: separate, detect, recover.
Membranes, adsorbents and sensors to tackle an essential challenge.
Read the article ↗Harvest better. Store thoughtfully.
The nanoscale in solar cells, batteries and catalysis.
Read the article ↗Sustainability is decided across the whole life cycle.
A visual guide to asking the right questions.
Read the article ↗EDUCATION · NANOINVENTUM
Imagine. Investigate.
Build judgement.
Nanotechnology enters the classroom through questions, creativity and teamwork. With NanoInventum, imagining the future also means learning science.
Discover NanoInventum ↗
Ideas to take you further.
Library ↗A small world. A change in perspective.
What happens when we change the scale of matter?
Read the article ↗Safe and sustainable by design.
Functionality, exposure and impact must be considered together.
Read the article ↗
Imagining a nanorobot also means learning to question it.
A model is a tool for thinking, explaining and debating.
Read the article ↗JORDI’S VOICE
Science worth sharing.
Sostenibilitat i nanotecnologia
A perspective on safe design, the life cycle and responsible nanotechnology innovation.
Read the original ↗
Els Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible (ODS) i la nanotecnologia
An exploration of the links between global challenges and nanoscale tools.
Read the original ↗NanoInventum: de la curiosidad a las ideas
An experience at Montseny school: experiment, identify a problem and imagine a solution.
Read the original ↗KEEP LEARNING · MOOC
From the first nanometre
to a sustainable perspective.
Nanotecnología para un futuro sostenible
Universitat de Barcelona · Coursera · Course in SpanishExplore the course ↗A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE
Follow a material through its life.
Sustainability is assessed from raw materials to end of life: manufacturing, transport, use, reuse and recycling. Resources, energy, emissions and waste must be considered at every stage.
Read the article →Thinking about the whole life cycle
Sustainability is assessed from raw materials to end of life: manufacturing, transport, use, reuse and recycling. Resources, energy, emissions and waste must be considered at every stage.
Original Catalan infographic published in Divulcat · Jordi Díaz Marcos. Click the image to enlarge it.