Nanotechnology for Sustainable Development, 2014

The world is facing great challenges in meeting rising demands for basic commodities (e.g., food, water, and energy), finished goods (e.g., cell phones, cars and airplanes) and services (e.g., shelter, healthcare and employment) while reducing and minimizing the impact of human activities on Earth's global environment and climate. Nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile platform that could provide efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable solutions to the global sustainability challenges facing society. This volume is devoted to the utilization of nanotechnology to improve or achieve sustainable development. Recent advances are highlighted and opportunities of utilizing nanotechnology to address global challenges in water purification, clean energy, greenhouse gas management, materials supply/utilization and manufacturing are discussed. Also, societal perspectives are addressed and an outlook of the role of nanotechnology in the convergence of knowledge, technology and society for achieving sustainable development is provided. This book offers a thematic collection of papers previously published in the Journal of Nanoparticle Research.

Editorial: Nanotechnology for Sustainable Development: Retrospective and Outlook.- Part I Water Purification.- Ionic Transport in Nanocapillary Membrane Systems.- Nanofiltration Membranes Based on Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibrous Scaffolds and Crosslinked Polyethyleneimine Networks.- Composite polyester membranes with embedded dendrimer hosts and bimetallic Fe/Ni nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterisation and application to water treatment.- A new approach for determination of fouling potential by colloidal nanoparticles during reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration of seawater.- Multiwalled carbon nanotubes decorated with nitrogen, palladium co-doped TiO2 (MWCNT/N, Pd co-doped TiO2) for visible light photocatalytic degradation of Eosin Yellow in water.- Synthesis and characterization of carbon-covered alumina (CCA) supported TiO2 nanocatalysts with enhanced visible light photodegradation of Rhodamine B.- Improvement of the structural, morphology, and optical properties of TiO2 for solar treatment of industrial wastewater.- Shape controlled synthesis of a-Fe2O3 nanostructures: Engineering their surface properties for improved photocatalytic degradation efficiency.- Protein-functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Time efficient potential-water treatment.- Fabrication of Amine Functionalized.- Magnetite Nanoparticles for Water Treatment Processes.- Manganese-incorporated iron(III) oxide–graphene magnetic nanocomposite: synthesis, characterization, and application for the arsenic(III)-sorption from aqueous solution.- Arsenic Removal by Magnetic Nanocrystalline Barium Hexaferrite.- Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions using Fe3O4, ZnO, and CuO nanoparticles.- Kaolin-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for removing cationic dye-crystal violet in aqueous solution.- Aqueous Phosphate Removal using Nanoscale Zero-valent Iron.- Part II Clean Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management.- Poly(vinyl chloride)-g-Poly(2(dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate) graft copolymer templated synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 thin films for dye-sensitized solar cells.- SnO2, IrO2, Ta2O5, Bi2O3, and TiO2 Nanoparticle Anodes: Electrochemical Oxidation Coupled with the Cathodic Reduction of Water to Yield Molecular H2 SnO2, IrO2, Ta2O5, Bi2O3, and TiO2 Nanoparticle Anodes: Electrochemical Oxidation Coupled with the Cathodic Reduction of Water to Yield Molecular H2.- Nanotechnology Convergence and Modeling Paradigm of Sustainable Energy System using Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell as a Benchmark Example.- Preparation of proton conducting membranes containing bifunctional titania nanoparticles.- Local intermolecular interactions for selective CO2 capture by zeolitic imidazole frameworks: Energy decomposition analysis.- Thermally Rearranged (TR) Polymer Membranes with Nanoengineered Cavities Tuned for CO2 Separation.- Part III Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing.- Recovery of silica from electronic waste for the synthesis of cubic MCM-48 and its application in preparing ordered mesoporous carbon molecular sieves using a green approach.- Electrochemical synthesis of gold nanorods in track-etched polycarbonate membrane using removable mercury cathode.- Filtration Behavior of Silver Nanoparticle Agglomerates and Effects of the Agglomerate Model in Data Analysis.- Sustained Release of Fungicide Metalaxyl by Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres.- Nanotechnology and Clean Energy: Sustainable Utilization and Supply of Critical Materials.- Nanomanufacturing and Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges.- Part IV Societal Perspectives.- Nanotechnology for sustainability - What does nanotechnology offer to mitigate complex sustainability problems?.- Nanotechnology Policy in Korea for Sustainable Growth.