Nanotechnology for Energy & Environment
Nanotechnology for sustainable energy systems are representing a very large percentage of the total market for nanotechnology products and services, since it depends on and involves so many aspects of nanoscience areas of investigation, e.g. material science, nanotechnology engineering, as well as including molecular biology (biophysics) in nanobiotechnology.
The energy field is expected to have the largest impact in the long run since nanotechnology is about physical systems and all physical systems are energy systems. In other words, applications for health and medical systems would require fragments of energy systems to work as a nano mechanical system (energy system), and these nano mechanical systems will be made up of new nanomaterials. Thus it is expected to be a very large market potential for nanotechnology for sustainable energy systems, due to the very interdisciplinary nature of the nanoscience and nanotechnology research and business field. Furthermore, the energy problem has to be solved in order for mankind to ensure a stable world economy, and major international initiatives are under way to ensure that sufficient energy technology research is undertaken.
Nanotechnology offers new solutions through particles and filter systems that can bind and remove or inactivate pollutants within land, sea and air. The promise is of more efficient use of resources, renewable energy, environmental monitoring and many more benefits. Along with all these benefits, it is important to recognise that nanoparticles are a still relatively unknown area, and therefore their effects must be researched thoroughly as soon as possible.
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Image Courtesy A. Dzurak, University of New South Wales