 In addition to industrial uses, the development of nanomaterials will also be useful for ecological purposes. Using nano-objects in materials can actually have a beneficial effect on our environment. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
Lighter materials for cleaner cars
 By adding carbon nanotubes to a composite, we augment the material’s mechanical properties: strength, resistance to shocks and extreme conditions, etc. All that without increasing its weight, which remains well under that of sheet metal.
In this way, nanomaterials can be used in the automotive industry to produce lighter cars that use less gas. This means reduced CO2 emissions and a minimized greenhouse effect.
High-performance batteries for electric cars Carbon nanotubes reinforce the solidity of electrodes contained in lithium ion batteries. Each usage and recharge cycle degrades traditional electrodes; however, using carbon nanotubes in electrodes grants them a longer life.  Future non-polluting, electric cars stand to benefit from this new technology. “Nanofilters” provide clean water Nanomaterials also help design particularly effective filtration membranes that can collect the most microscopic impurities. A new filter of this type has been developed by IITM (Indian Institute of Technology Madras), allowing for the “nanofiltration” of water contaminated by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
Replacing hazardous products with nanomaterials
Giving a “nanocoat” to certain materials helps improve its surface properties, such as resistance to erosion, oxidization, abrasion, and its reflectivity. We can thus manufacture an anticorrosion coating for metallic surfaces as a substitute for chrome, which becomes very toxic once released in the environment. Improving the resistance of solar panels Nanomaterials will help produce a new, much lighter Plexiglas® that conserves its transparence while having a much greater resistance to shocks – an ideal product for solar panels. |
new pilot plant will produce several hundred metric tons of 
