In this blog post, we will examine how nanotechnology can be applied to solar cells, nanocatalysts, environmental remediation, and new eco-friendly materials amid the trends of environmental regulations and the shift toward carbon neutrality, and explore the potential of nanotechnology for addressing future industrial and environmental challenges.
In February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement requiring industrialized nations and economies in transition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the first commitment period, spanning 2008 to 2012, it set a target for participating countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels. It also allowed for the use of market-based mechanisms, such as international emissions trading, to achieve these reductions. At the time, as reducing carbon dioxide emissions emerged as a critical challenge for the international community, interest in strengthening environmental regulations also grew. However, as noted in the original text, the prediction that South Korea would be designated as a country subject to mandatory carbon emission reduction obligations under the Kyoto Protocol starting in 2013 is incorrect. South Korea was not included among the Annex I countries under the Kyoto Protocol and was therefore not subject to mandatory reduction obligations during the first commitment period. Although South Korea ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2002, the international greenhouse gas reduction framework subsequently shifted to a system under the Paris Agreement, in which all parties submit their national greenhouse gas reduction targets. Currently, the Republic of Korea is establishing national greenhouse gas reduction targets in accordance with the Paris Agreement; in its 2035 national greenhouse gas reduction target, finalized in 2025, the country set a goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 53–61% compared to 2018 levels. Therefore, while the original text’s concern regarding the importance of preparing for environmental regulations and carbon reduction remains valid today, it is more accurate to view the institutional background as having evolved from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement and the national greenhouse gas reduction target system. South Korea’s power sector also continues to rely heavily on coal-fired power generation. In 2024, South Korea’s total electricity generation was approximately 595.6 billion kWh, with coal-fired generation accounting for about 167.2 billion kWh—roughly 28% of the total. Although the share of coal-fired power has decreased compared to the past, a significant reduction is still necessary to achieve carbon neutrality. Even without citing such specific examples, the deterioration of human living conditions caused by environmental destruction and climate change has already become a familiar narrative. As such, the issues of environmental pollution and climate change are among the critical challenges that not only South Korea but all of humanity must address. We have now entered an era where the development of eco-friendly technologies determines the competitiveness of nations and industries.
In the past, domestic research institutions developed “nanopatterning technology,” presenting the possibility of solving these environmental and energy problems. This technology attracted particular attention due to its potential for use in next-generation solar cells. At the time, while existing solar cells faced difficulties in mass production due to high manufacturing costs comparable to those of semiconductors, it was suggested that solar cells utilizing nanopatterning could simultaneously achieve low-cost mass production and high energy conversion efficiency. The figure of up to 80% energy efficiency mentioned in the original text corresponds to projections presented in research and press releases at the time; therefore, it cannot be interpreted as representing the typical performance of current commercial solar cells. Today, solar technology has advanced significantly, and nanotechnology also plays a crucial role in areas such as light-absorbing structures, surface control, thin films, and next-generation solar cell materials. Precise control of nanostructures allows for the modulation of light absorption and scattering properties, which can be leveraged to improve solar cell efficiency and enhance materials and processes. If these technologies continue to advance and become commercialized, they could help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. Furthermore, nanocatalysts are being utilized as key components in technologies designed to reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles and industrial facilities. This is because controlling the surface area and reaction characteristics of catalysts at the nanoscale can increase the efficiency of chemical reactions. As the world develops technologies to address environmental and energy issues, nanotechnology is establishing itself as one of the key enabling technologies. So, what exactly is this nanotechnology that is attracting so much attention?
If someone were to say that all the information contained in the 32-volume Britannica Encyclopedia could fit into a space the size of the head of a pin, some might call it impossible. However, this can be understood in the context of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman’s 1959 lecture, in which he foresaw the era of nanotechnology by proposing the possibility of storing vast amounts of information in microscopic spaces. Now, decades later, nanotechnology is gaining attention as one of the key technologies capable of transforming various fields of human civilization. “Nano” is a unit representing one-billionth, derived from the Ancient Greek word “nanos,” meaning “dwarf.” One nanometer (nm) is equal to one-billionth of a meter—an extremely small length, amounting to only about one ten-thousandth of the thickness of a human hair. If you think of it as a scale where just a few atoms and molecules can be arranged, you can get a sense of just how small a nanometer is. Generally, in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers, the properties of a material can vary significantly depending on its size, shape, and surface condition. This is because the electronic, optical, chemical, and mechanical properties of a material change at the nanometer scale, and quantum mechanical phenomena play a particularly important role in very small areas. You are probably all familiar with the fairy tale ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In this story, the protagonist Alice eats a mushroom and her body grows and shrinks, and a cat appears and disappears while floating in the air—events that are difficult to understand based on common sense. The nanoworld also shares similarities with the “Wonderland” in the fairy tale in that it can exhibit characteristics different from the phenomena we experience with materials of everyday size. At the nanometer scale, new properties emerge that are difficult to explain using only conventional macroscopic physical intuition, and understanding and utilizing these characteristics is a crucial starting point for nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology refers to the use of these unique phenomena—which occur at the nanometer scale—to control or intentionally alter the structure and properties of materials for application in various fields. Nanotechnology can be applied to nearly all industrial sectors, including electronics and information and communications technology, as well as mechanical engineering, chemistry, biotechnology, advanced materials, energy, and the environment. In particular, as research on nanomaterials advances, catalysis has emerged as a field of growing interest. In the field of chemical and biological engineering, nanocatalysts are also considered a key area of application. A catalyst is a substance that alters the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process, and nanotechnology can be used to enhance the performance of existing catalysts by controlling their surface area, active sites, and electronic structure. It is expected that this will help solve both environmental and energy problems simultaneously. The basic principle of environmental remediation technology using catalysts is to convert pollutants that have already been generated—or substances that generate pollutants—into relatively harmless substances through catalytic reactions. This is similar to the game of Othello. Consider how, in Othello, when a white piece is placed, all black pieces located in a straight line between that piece and other white pieces are turned white. Of course, actual chemical reactions do not occur quite so simply. However, because nanotechnology allows for precise control of a catalyst’s surface properties and reactivity, it significantly increases the potential to induce chemical reactions—which were difficult to carry out efficiently with conventional catalytic technologies—more efficiently and rapidly. One such application is wastewater treatment. Nano-titanium dioxide is used in forms such as photocatalysts and can be employed to decompose certain organic pollutants in water by generating reactive oxygen species using light. In particular, nano-titanium dioxide has been studied in the field of environmental remediation due to its large specific surface area and unique photocatalytic properties. However, in actual wastewater treatment, various conditions—such as the type and concentration of pollutants, water quality, light source, and the possibility of catalyst recovery and reuse—must be considered together, and not all pollutants can be treated in the same way. Furthermore, various studies utilizing catalysts and nanomaterials are underway in the treatment of solid waste, such as municipal solid waste, which holds the potential to contribute to improving the urban living environment in the future.
Prospects regarding the impact of nanotechnology on future industries and the environment have been consistently raised for some time. In the past, Russia also pursued large-scale investments to foster nanotechnology as a strategic industry at the national level and treated the industrialization and standardization of nanotechnology as important policy priorities. However, the investment figures for Russia cited in the original text and the phrase “this year” are based on data from a specific point in time and should not be interpreted as reflecting current policy or investment levels. Today, nanotechnology has evolved beyond the scope of a single country’s future strategy into a general-purpose technology applied across various industrial sectors, including semiconductors, displays, batteries, biotechnology, catalysts, energy, and the environment. As mentioned earlier, the range of fields in which nanotechnology can be applied is extremely broad. Particularly now, as the importance of the environment and energy continues to grow, the potential applications of nanotechnology are receiving even greater attention. Nanotechnology can be utilized not only in energy production technologies such as solar cells but also in various fields including energy storage, hydrogen production and utilization, catalysts, carbon reduction, and the purification of air and water pollution.
In addition to the examples introduced earlier, there is the so-called “green lighting” technology, which stores natural light during the day and emits light at night, nano-lubricants that form solid films on object surfaces to reduce friction and wear and improve the efficiency of machinery, and nano-composites and nano-coating materials that shield against strong electromagnetic waves—a wide range of eco-friendly new materials and technologies that once seemed like the stuff of science fiction are now being researched thanks to advances in nanotechnology. Some of these technologies are already being applied in industrial settings and daily life, while others are still in the research, development, and commercialization stages. Nanotechnology is significant not merely as a technology for making materials smaller, but as a technology that precisely controls the size and structure of materials at the nanometer level to achieve new functions and performance. Before long, we will see nanotechnology playing an increasingly important role in human life and across all industries as we work to solve energy and environmental problems. Nanoengineering is already here. As a new driving force in the era of environmental sustainability, nanotechnology is one of the key solutions for the future.
