Issue 7, 2024

Leveraging engineered nanomaterials to support material circularity

Abstract

Materials are central to a circular economy. They enter one of two cycles, the biological (where materials serve a purpose and then degrade as nutrients for renewing natural resources) or the technical (where materials perpetuate in products, serving a single or multiple functions with each subsequent use). Given the ubiquity of engineered nanomaterials in products supporting nearly every facet of society, it is critical to consider how they integrate in these circular resource flows. In this perspective, we present an historical overview of the emergence and advancements of engineered nanomaterials as well as provide context for identifying tractable avenues for them to advance the circular materials economy. We highlight the opportunity for engineered nanomaterials to improve the performance and extend the life of bulk composite materials. We outline a specific example of nano-enabled concrete to demonstrate the opportunity and elucidate the importance of low additive amounts, high functional gain, and low additional embodied energy of the nanomaterial used. Finally, we offer perspective on future opportunities for ongoing research in our field to support successful realization of a global circular materials economy.

Graphical abstract: Leveraging engineered nanomaterials to support material circularity

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
12 févr. 2024
Accepted
26 avr. 2024
First published
29 avr. 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2024,11, 2885-2893

Leveraging engineered nanomaterials to support material circularity

L. M. Gilbertson, M. J. Eckelman and T. L. Theis, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2024, 11, 2885 DOI: 10.1039/D4EN00110A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements