Nanoscience for Sustainability

Nanoscience plays a critical role in addressing major challenges facing our world related to the environment, including water, food, energy and climate change mitigation. From the from development of refrigerants that are planet-friendly to use of advanced metal-organic framework materials for carbon capture, future innovation in nanoscience will be key to ensuring a sustainable future as described in this Nature Nanotechnology comment, co-authored by co-authored Jeff Miller, program officer in nanoscience at The Kavli Foundation.

Nanotechnology has already been harnessed to improve sustainable technology in applications such as membranes used to desalinate water at industrial scale, and advancing battery composition. But fundamental questions in nanoscience block progress for other applications: for example, exploring the use of carbon nanotubes as an alternative to greenhouse gas-producing sources. The Kavli Foundation’s Nanoscience for Sustainability program supports research that addresses these questions, to accelerate progress or enable new sustainability breakthroughs.

Learn more about projects the foundation has funded.