Nanotechnology is a transformative discipline that cuts across many areas of society, from health and electronics to engineering and energy transition. And its potential for further expansion is enormous. It is therefore essential that the challenges and objectives of nanotechnology are aligned with those of sustainable development and with policies that promote a fairer and more planet-friendly future.
With this premise, the 3rd White Paper on Nanotechnologies has just been published, coordinated by Jordi Díaz, from the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB) and the Science and Technology Centres (CCiTUB) of the University of Barcelona; Joan Mendoza, also from the CCiTUB, and Pedro A. Serena, from the Material Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC).
The 3rd White Paper on nanotechnologies is a collective work, published at a key historical moment, when science must confront the proliferation of fake news and denialism. Thus, the new volume aims to forge a bridge between science and society, innovation and sustainability, research and everyday life, and is presented as a reference document on science, innovation and sustainability.
With scientific rigour and a clear commitment to dissemination, this book is aimed at researchers and teachers as well as institutional and political decision-makers. For the authors, it aims to become a reference document for understanding how nanotechnology - from nanomaterials to quantum computing - will play a key role in building a more sustainable and equitable future.
Nanotechnology: driving social transformation
The publication, which results from the collaboration of more than 80 experts from the 13 centres of the Spanish Network on Safe and Sustainable Nanotechnologies (SNSSN), also known as SustainableNano, is divided into six chapters and offers a comprehensive vision of the role of nanotechnology in the great global challenges of the present and future. It has been co-funded by IN2UB and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the SNSSN.
Professor Guillem Aromí, director of IN2UB and coordinator of SustainableNano, notes that "development can no longer be conceived without the adjective sustainable and nanotechnology has much to do with this, as it is transforming the present through real solutions and applications."
