Environmental Nanotechnology and Nanometrology

Environmental nanotechnology unites the design, synthesis and application of nanoscale materials with the need to monitor their fate, transport and impacts across air, water, soil and biological systems. Engineered nanomaterials exploit size-dependent properties—high surface area, unique optical and catalytic behaviour—to detect, capture or degrade contaminants and to remediate polluted sites. Nanometrology underpins these efforts by providing precise measurement and characterisation of nanoparticles at trace levels. Techniques ranging from electron microscopy and light-scattering methods to laser-induced breakdown detection and single-particle mass spectrometry yield particle size distributions, number concentrations, surface chemistry and dissolution kinetics. Integrating these data with environmental-fate models allows prediction of exposure, validation of transport pathways and guidance for the safe design of next-generation nanomaterials.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Foundational studies have revealed that high-temperature coal combustion yields substoichiometric titanium oxides—Magnéli phases—with distinct tracer and toxicity profiles independent of sunlight activation. These phases persist in the atmosphere, can translocate into biological systems and require targeted transformation studies. In parallel, investigations into titanium dioxide nanoparticles and bacterial populations have shown that anatase particles can adhere to Bacillus subtilis cell walls, adsorb autolytic enzymes and delay cell lysis. Advanced dark-field microscopy and hyperspectral mapping have linked nanoscale speciation to microbial survival kinetics, underscoring the need for phase-specific metrology when assessing environmental persistence and ecotoxicological effects.

Environmental Nanotechnology and Nanometrology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in environmental nanotechnology and nanometrology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Heteroaggregation: The process by which engineered nanoparticles attach to natural colloidal particles, altering their transport, deposition and bioavailability.

Magnéli phases: Substoichiometric titanium oxides (Ti_xO_2x–1) formed under high-temperature combustion, notable for unique electronic properties and environmental persistence.

Laser-induced breakdown detection (LIBD): A highly sensitive method using pulsed lasers to generate plasma from individual nanoparticles, with emitted light analysed to count and size particles in situ.

Particle number concentration: The count of nanoparticles per unit volume, a key metric for exposure and dose in environmental and toxicological studies.

Form-specific modelling: An approach that treats different physical or chemical forms of a nanomaterial—pristine, dissolved ions and transformed aggregates—separately in fate and risk assessments to capture their distinct environmental behaviours.

References

1. Discovery and ramifications of incidental Magnéli phase generation and release from industrial coal-burning. Nature Communications (2017).
2. Disruption of Autolysis in Bacillus subtilis using TiO2 Nanoparticles. Scientific Reports (2017).
3. Quantification of Nanoplastics and Inorganic Nanoparticles via Laser‐Induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD). Small Methods (2025).
4. Form‐Specific and Probabilistic Environmental Risk Assessment of 3 Engineered Nanomaterials (Nano‐Ag, Nano‐TiO2, and Nano‐ZnO) in European Freshwaters. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2021).
5. Analysis of Engineered Nanoparticles in Seawater Using ICP-MS-Based Technology: From Negative to Positive Samples. Molecules (2023).
6. Strategies for determining heteroaggregation attachment efficiencies of engineered nanoparticles in aquatic environments. Environmental Science Nano (2020).