Environment and

Nanotechnology

By Angela Jones, Ph.D., Jeanne Nye and Andrew Greenberg, Ph.D.

From lakes to oceans, from air to
soil, from forests to deserts,
from farms to cities.

How can small science help us

protect such a big beautiful
world?
 What is nanotechnology?
A description -
• Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at
dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers, or
nanoscale.
• Unusual physical, chemical, and biological properties can
emerge in materials at the nanoscale. These properties may
differ in important ways from the properties of bulk materials
and single atoms or molecules.
• Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and
technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring,
modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale.

Note: This slide and the next 9 slides are the same for all research areas.
Resource: www.nano.gov
 How BIG is nano?
Macrosize
meters, decimeters, centimeters, millimeters

Child Hand Pi nk y Fi nger Freck le St rand o f Hai r

100 10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4

A child is about 1 meter tall A hand is about 1 decimeter wide A pinky finger is about A freckle is about 1 millimeter wide A hair is about one tenth of a
1 meter = 1,000,000,000 nm 1 decimeter = 100,000,000 nm 1 centimeter wide 1 millimeter = 1,000,000 nm millimeter wide
(1 billion nanometers) (100 million nanometers) 1 centimeter = 10,000,000 nm (1 million nanometers) 0.1 millimeter = 100,000 nm
(10 million nanometers) (100 thousand nanometers)

Microsize Nanosize
micrometers nanometers
Red Blood Cell Bac t er i a Virus Cell M em brane Sugar M o l ecul e Atom

10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8 10-9 10-10

A red blood cell is about A bacterium is about A viron is about one tenth A cell membrane is about A sugar molecule is about An atom is about one tenth
10 micrometers wide 1 micrometer wide of a micrometer wide 10 nanometers wide 1 nanometer wide of a nanometer wide
10 micrometers = 10,000 nm 1 micrometer = 1,000 nm 0.1 micrometer = 100 nm 10 nanometers = 10 nm 1 nanometer = 1 nm 0.1 nanometer = 0.1 nm
(10 thousand nanometers) (1 thousand nanometers) (1 hundred nanometers)

Created in 2008 by Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY, www.sciencenter.org

Accompanying book available for purchase at www.lulu.com

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Agreement No. ESI-0532536.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
 Nanoscale
1 nanometer =
1 billionth (10-9) of a
meter

D 109 D

a marble
 Why do we care?
Things behave differently at this scale
• Quantum mechanics plays a
much more important role
• For example,
– A brick of gold is shiny and
“gold”-colored.
– A vial of gold nanoparticles in
solution can be a range of colors
depending on the size of the
nanoparticles.
– This is because of a phenomenon
know as quantum confinement. Suspensions of discrete (separated)
gold nanoparticles in clear solution
vary in color from pink to purple as
the nanoparticle size gets bigger.
Image source: “Causes of Color”, WebExhibits,
http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/9.html
 Why else do we care?
This is the scale of biological processes
• Human cells and bacteria have
diameters around 1-10 Structure of DNA
micrometers PDB ID: 1BNA

BUT
• Cellular machinery is on the
nanoscale
– Diameter of DNA is ~2
nanometers
– Hemoglobin, the protein that
carries oxygen through the
body, is 5.5 nanometers in
diameter
Structure of hemoglobin
PDB ID: 1BUW
 One more reason: surface area
Another reason nanomaterials behave differently from bulk materials of
the same chemical is because of surface area – or the area of an object
that is an exposed surface.
For this cube, each
edge is 1 meter in For these
length. cubes,
each edge
1m is 0.1
meters in
length, but
there are
1m 1000
1m
cubes.
Volume
(in cubic meters): 1m X 1m X 1m = 1 m3 (0.1m X 0.1m X 0.1m) X 1000 cubes = 1 m3

Surface Area
(in square meters): (1m X 1m) X 6 sides = 6 m2 (0.1m X 0.1m) X 6 sides X 1000 cubes = 60 m2
 Surface Area and Reactions
• This increased surface area allows chemical reactions to
go much faster.
• Think about it this way:
Which dissolves faster in your coffee or tea, a sugar
cube or a teaspoon of granulated sugar?

Answer:
Granulated
sugar
 Nano-enabled Consumer Products

As of the March 10, 2011, there are over 1300

consumer products around the world that are
manufacturer-identified as nanotechnology-
based.
• Touch screens (iPhone) • Bicycles
• Sunscreens • Fabric
• Cosmetics • Computer memory
• Tennis rackets • Many more…
These products are here, ready to buy today!
Resources: The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies website: http://www.nanotechproject.org/
 Activity Description
• You have been assigned an area of nanotechnology research
to support.
• Go through this presentation and any other credible sources
to identify three benefits of research in nanotechnology
toward your area of interest and up to three potential risks
you perceive in your area of interest.
• As a group, we will weigh the risks and benefits of each area
to decide how much of our federal nanotechnology budget
should go to each research area.
 Disclaimer:
this is a contrived scenario
• There are no federal nanotechnology budget cuts
– $1.7 billion estimated for FY2012 (fiscal year 2012)
– Increased investment proposed for FY2013 (nearly $1.8 billion)
• Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) subcommittee of
the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on Technology
is an actual government entity
– Composed of representatives from 25 federal agencies (NIH, DOE, DOD, etc.)
– Purpose is to coordinate planning, budgeting, and implementation of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)
– These representatives work together to create an integrated federal program.
• Actual nano “budget” is different from what is proposed in this activity
– Actual “budget” is given as a supplement to the President’s 2013 Budget
Request submitted to Congress
– It represents the sum of the investment in nanotechnology and nanoscience
planned for 2013 by federal agencies
– The agencies submit how much they are planning to spend on nanoscience
– In the activity scenario, we’re doing the opposite of what the actual NNI
Budget represents in that we’re distributing a pre-determined amount
amongst these research areas.
Resources: NNI Budget website: http://www.nano.gov/about-nni/what/funding
 Green Science

In this presentation, you will learn about

some of the developments in
nanotechnology in cleaning up the
environment.
 Consider the following when learning about
these developments:

1. Might these nanotechnology developments

infringe on human rights to privacy and
freedom?
2. Is it safe for me? Is it safe for others?
3. Could the use of this nanotechnology
development have unwanted and negative
environmental effects?
4. What economic impact could the use of this
nanotechnology development have on
producers, consumers, and other industries?
Might they be negative or positive?
 What About Your Rights?
If so, are these
developments more
important than

• Your privacy?
• Your rights as a citizen?
• Your rights as a human
being?

Are the answers

somewhere in between?

Image source: http://www.info4security.com/Pictures/web/w/v/m/iStock_Law.jpg

 Links to outside sources
• Within this presentation will be many underlined
words. If you click on the underlined text, your
browser will take you to other websites, videos, or
other resources to learn more about what is on the
slide.
• These links are chosen to give you additional
information, but these presentations can stand
alone. It is unnecessary to go to the links for the
purpose of this activity.
• We try to make sure the links are active, but given
the ever-changing nature of the internet, you might
find a few that take you to a location that is no
longer active. Please let the facilitator know if you
find an inactive link.
 Environment
• Nanotechnology is making significant
improvements in technologies for protecting the
environment.
• Nanoscale devices are being used for enhanced
sensing, treating and remediating environmental
contaminants.
• Someday we may be able to prevent pollution with
the help of nanotechnology.
• On the other hand, nanotechnology's unique
characteristics may also lead to unforeseen
environmental problems.
Resource “Nanotechnology Basic Information,” United States Environmental Protection Agency,
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/nano/questions/index.html
 Nanosensors and the
environment
Nanosensors can be used to detect and track pathogens (germs),
contaminants, nutrients, environmental characteristics (light/dark,
hot/cold, wet/dry), heavy metals, particulates, and allergens. [1]

• Scientists at Pacific Northwest National

Laboratory (PNNL), in partnership with
PANalytical B.V., developed Functionalized
Nanoporous Thin Films (FNTF). [2]
• The technology is a low-cost, highly-selective
means for detecting heavy metals in
aqueous (water) environments. [2]
• It allows testing for virtually every heavy
metal (including mercury, lead, and
cadmium) with potential to negatively affect
human health and the environment, and Artistic rendering of the
increases sensitivity by more than a thousand Functionalized Nanoporous Thin
Films, Image credit: PNNL
times the previous capability. [2]
Resources [1] “Nanotechnology,” National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/ProgViewOverview.cfm?prnum=16500
[2] “Coating helps increase water testing sensitivity by one thousand times ,” PNNL,
http://www.pnl.gov/business/stories.aspx#story21
 nanoDESI
Cars, fires, industrial manufacturing plants, and others produce a
complex variety of chemicals in the air, often to the detriment of the
environment and our health.

• Traditional methods for determining the

chemical makeup of the air around us
requires expensive equipment and experts
for preparation of the sample to be tested.
• Researchers at the PNNL developed the
nanoDESI to make it faster and easier to
make those measurements.
• For analysis, the sample is first dissolved into
a liquid (called a solvent), then the
dissolved sample is made into an aerosol of Created at PNNL, the nanoDESI
requires no sample preparation and
ions by nano-electrospray ionization. provides a reliable, simple way to
introduce samples into a mass
• Now that the sample is aerosolized, the spectrometer for detailed analysis.
particulate can be analyzed using a high Photo Credit: PNNL
resolution mass spectrometer.
Resources [1] “Scientific Stimulus Produces Results: A cascade of opportunities are unleashed by one instrument, a novel idea, and EMSL's
intramural program,” EMSL, http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/news/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=147
[2] “New Technique Provides Sensitive Analysis of Atmospheric Particles,” PNNL,
http://www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=813
 Environmental Cleanup
“Environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants
from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water
for the general protection of human health and the environment.” [1]
Nanoscience is making great strides in remediation research.
• Scientists from Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL), the University of
Washington, and Oregon Health & Science
University developed superparamagnetic
nanoparticles capable of absorbing heavy-
metals. [2, 3]
• The magnetic nanoparticles are decorated
with chemicals that can capture metal ions.
[2, 3]
• They tested their nanoparticles in river water
Cartoon of magnetic nanoparticles
spiked with seven environmentally relevant capable of absorbing heavy-metals from
heavy-metals. [2, 3] water sources. Image credit: EMSL

Resources [1] “Environmental remediation,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_remediation

[2] “A Better Drop to Drink: Method for creating nanoparticle heavy-metal sorbents saves water—literally,” Environmental
Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/root/news/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=118
[3] Warner, C. L., et al. "High-Performance, Superparamagnetic, Nanoparticle-Based Heavy Metal Sorbents for Removal of
Contaminants from Natural Waters." Chemsuschem 3.6 (2010): 749-57.
 Nanotechnology and Oil Spills
Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20,
2010. What followed was an 87 day underwater leak of oil that wreaked
havoc to aquatic life and human life. There are many proposed ways
that nanotechnology can be applied to oil spill clean up, many of which
are outlined at this link. Below is just one of many.
• Researchers at MIT developed a mat of
nanowires that can absorb up to 20 times
its weight in oil.
• After cleaning up oil from water, the oil
can then be recovered by heating the
membrane above the boiling point of the
oil so that it evaporates.
• The vapor can then be condensed back
into liquid, and the oil AND the nanowire Top: Swatch of oil-absorbing nanowire
membrane can be used again! mesh. Bottom: Scanning electron
micrograph of the nanowire mesh.
Photo credit: Francesco Stellacci, MIT,
and Nature Nanotechnology
Resources [1] Thomson, E., “MIT develops a 'paper towel' for oil spills,” MIT News, http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oil-paper-0530.html
[2] Yuan, J. K., et al. "Superwetting Nanowire Membranes for Selective Absorption." Nature Nanotechnology 3.6 (2008): 332-36.
 Nanotechnology and Air
Pollution
• Researchers at PNNL have also
developed new materials that
inexpensively capture carbon dioxide
(CO2) efficiently and selectively.
• They’ve used materials based on metal-
organic frameworks (MOF) to make tiny
“cages” capable of capturing the CO2.
• These MOFs have 2-3 times the CO2
capacity compared to conventional
sorbents.
• Releasing the CO2 from the MOF
requires just the pull of a vacuum, while Transmission electron micrograph of
PNNL’s MOF nano-crystals 40
other technologies require heating up to nanometers in size. In the insert in the
release the gas. upper left-hand corner, you can also
see the uniformity of the nanopores that
• The CO2 can then be pumped deep into capture the CO2. Image Credit: PNNL.

the Earth where it becomes stable in the

form of carbonate minerals.
Resources [1] Thallpally, D. and P. McGrail, “Molecularly organized nanomaterials for carbon dioxide capture,” Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory ,” http://www.pnl.gov/nano/research/pdf/mof_flier_12-02-2010.pdf
 Fossil Fuel Consumption
According to the World Coal Institute,
“At current production levels coal will be available for
at least the next 119 years - compared to 46 years for oil
and 63 years for [natural] gas.” [1]

119 years 46 years 63 years

In the words of Thomas Edison in 1931,
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I
hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle
that.” [2, 3]
Resources: [1] http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-society/coal-energy-security/
[2] Newton, J. Uncommon Friends: Life With Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel, and Charles Lindbergh. New
York: Harcourt, 1987.
[3] Abbott, D. “Keeping the Energy Debate Clean: How Do We Supply the World’s Energy Needs?” Proceedings of the IEEE. Volume
 Solar Energy
• The world population currently consumes
energy at a rate of 15 terawatts (TW).
• After accounting for solar energy that is
reflected back into space and absorbed by
clouds, we are left with 85 petawatts (PW) or
85,000 TW available for solar collection on
Earth.
• If we consider only the solar power that hits
desert regions of the world, we still get 7,650
TW. That’s over 500 times our current world
consumption!
Resource: Abbott, D. “Keeping the Energy Debate Clean: How Do We Supply the World’s Energy Needs?” Proceedings of
the IEEE. Volume 98, Issue 1: 43-66.
Note: These values are available power. This does not account for energy conversion efficiency of solar cells or solar
collectors.
 Nanotechnology is Making Solar
Power Cheaper
One example is the use of organic photovoltaic
cells (OPV) instead of the more common silicon
crystal solar cells.
• Made from light-sensitive polymers [1]
• These polymers can be dissolved in liquids,
and so they can be used in screen printing,
inkjet printing, and spray deposition (like spray
paint) which make manufacturing materials
using high-throughput processes like roll-to-roll
printing (think newspaper printing) possible,
and this can drive the cost down [2].
• Though conversion efficiency is typically on
the order of 5% [1], scientists are working on
improving that through controlling nanoscale
morphology [2].
Resources: [1] Jacoby, M. "The Power of Plastic." Chemical & Engineering News 88.34 (2010): 12-16.
[2] Mayer, A. C., et al. "Polymer-Based Solar Cells." Materials Today 10.11 (2007): 28-33.
 Energy Generation and
Storage
• There are currently many nanotechnology
based projects in the area of energy
generation and storage.
– Affordable solar cells (like in the previous slides)
– Better rechargeable batteries
– Hydrogen storage for hydrogen fuel cells
– More durable gas turbines
– Cost effective and sustainable biofuel
production
– Many, many more…
• For more, go to the Energy presentation on
this website.
 Green Manufacturing
According to the EPA, Waste
“Nanotechnology offers the possibility of
changing the manufacturing process in
2 ways:
• Incorporating nanotechnology for
efficient, controlled manufacturing
[that] would drastically reduce
waste products
• The use of nanomaterials as
catalysts for greater efficiency in
current manufacturing processes by
minimizing or eliminating the use of
toxic materials and the generation
of undesirable by-products and
effluents” [1]
Resources [1] “Nanotechnology: Green Manufacturing ,” EPA, http://www.epa.gov/ncer/nano/research/nano_green.html
 Nanocatalysts
Nanocatalysts will process waste into food, feed, industrial chemicals,
biofuels and energy. [1]
Catalysts are molecules that can speed up a chemical reactions, and the
increased surface area of nanocatalysts lead to even faster reactions!
• In a collaboration between Rice University
and Lehigh University, researchers have
developed a nanocatalysts that will make
the oil refining process more efficient and
better for the environment. [2, 3]
• Rice University Prof. Michael Wong says the
following about his discovery, “Improving a
catalyst can… make the chemical process
more environmentally friendly. Knock those This is a scanning transmission
things out, and they gain efficiencies and electron microscope (STEM) image of
the nanocatalyst (green circles) on
save money.” [2] zirconia support. The other circles
show the less-active forms of the
Resources [1] “Nanotechnology,” National Institute of Food and Agriculture, nanocatalyst. Photo Credit: Wu
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/ProgViewOverview.cfm?prnum=16500 Zhou/Lehigh University via PhysOrg.
[2] Williams, M., “Nanocatalyst is a gas: Rice U. formula could make fuel manufacturing better, greener,” Rice News & Media
Relations, http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=14752
[3] Soultanidis, N., et al. "Relating N-Pentane Isomerization Activity to the Tungsten Surface Density of Wox/Zgo(2)." Journal of the
 So, Isn’t This Great News?
To summarize and elaborate on positive points
already made which promote the use of
nanoparticles in the environment -
1. Nanosensors can be used to identify pollutants
faster and cheaper.
2. Nanocatalysts and nanoparticles can be used to
clean up pollution in the ground, air or water.
3. Nanoscience is making great strides in not only
making the manufacturing and use of fossil fuels
more environmentally friendly, but also in
advancing alternative energy sources like solar
energy, batteries, fuel cells, and biofuels.
 But…
• What are there unintended consequences to the
environment in using nanotechnology? They could
cause unexpected and dangerous problems in
plants, animals or the environment.

• What is the cost to the environment when we

manufacture and use nanomaterials and
techniques?
 Nanomanufacturing problems
Researchers at the University of Illinois at
Chicago (ref. 1) have found that some
nanomanufacturing processes are expensive
and not very environmentally friendly:
• Strict purity needed for starting materials
• Repetitive processing steps
• Processing requires extreme environments
– High temperatures
NASA’s Microsystems Fabrication
– Cryogenics (extremely cold) Laboratory Cleanroom. Photo
credit: Marvin Smith/ NASA
– Cleanrooms
• Use of toxic chemicals and solvents As a result, the EPA is pushing
• Generation of greenhouse gases for research in improved
nanomanufacturing
• High usage of energy and water
processes that are more
• Low yield compared to starting materials environmentally benign. [2]
Resources [1] Sengul, H., T. L. Theis, and S. Ghosh. "Toward Sustainable Nanoproducts: An Overview of Nanomanufacturing Methods."
Journal of Industrial Ecology 12.3 (2008): 329-59.
http://www.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/iesp/Publications/Faculty%20Publications/Theis/Theis_Toward%20Sustainable%20Nanoproducts
.pdf
[2] Savage, N., “Research Advancing Green Manufacturing of Nanotechnology Products,” EPA,
http://www.epa.gov/nanoscience/quickfinder/green.htm
 Green Nanoscience

N
• Jim Hutchinson, chemistry professor at the
University of Oregon, is leading the way to push
using principals of green chemistry as
nanoscience develops. [1]
• He is director of Safer Nanomaterials and
Nanomanufacturing Initiative, the goal of which
is to “develop new nanomaterials and
A
N
nanomanufacturing approaches that offer a
high level of performance, yet pose minimal
harm to human health or the environment.” [2]
• Go to this link to watch a video from
ScienCentral where Prof. Hutchinson describes
this work.

Resources [1] “Hutchinson Advocates for Green Nano,” University of Oregon CAScade, http://cascade.uoregon.edu/fall2008/natural-
sciences/hutchinson-advocates-for-green/
[2] Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative website, http://www.greennano.org/
 Environment Websites
These websites can help you find more information on nanotechnology
in the environment. The last link connects you to general nanoscience
sites.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Nanoscience website
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/nano/index.html
• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Nanotechnology
website
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/ProgViewOverview.cfm?prnum=16500
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Nanoscience and the
Environment website http://www.pnl.gov/nano/environment.stm
• Brochure on Nanoscience at the Environmental Molecular Sciences
Laboratory (EMSL)
http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/root/publications/brochures/nanoscience_
at_EMSL.pdf
• A Presentation from Cynthia Folsom Murphy and David Allen,
University of Texas, October 4, 2004
• Numerous nanoscience sites are linked here: Websites
 Nano-enabled consumer
products
To learn more about nano-enabled consumer products in all areas of
research visit the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

• Established in April 2005 as a partnership between the Woodrow

Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable
Trusts
• “The Project is dedicated to helping ensure that as
nanotechnologies advance, possible risks are minimized, public
and consumer engagement remains strong, and the potential
benefits of these new technologies are realized.”
• Their website includes news and publications about issues with
nanotechnology.
• It also includes inventories of consumer products that are
manufacturer-identified as nanotechnology based, and as of the
March 10, 2011 update, there are over 1300 products around the
world.
Resources: The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies website: http://www.nanotechproject.org/
 More on the website

If time allows, return to the main website

and watch some of the videos that
provide “expert testimony” in the area of
nanotechnology and the environment.
Click here