Nanotechnology in Clean Energy: Graphene, CNTs and MXenes
0D to 3D nanomaterials, next-gen supercapacitors, targeted drug delivery, and India's Nano Mission breakdown.
Nanotechnology deals with structures sized between 1 to 100 nanometres, where quantum confinement and high surface-area-to-volume ratios exhibit dramatically superior electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties.
- •Prelims Focus: Institutional mandate, member countries, observer status guidelines, and strategic polar agreements.
- •Mains Focus: GS Paper 2 (Bilateral, regional and global groupings) & GS Paper 3 (Climate and energy security).
Categorisation for UPSC: 0D (Quantum Dots, fullerenes), 1D (Carbon Nanotubes, nanowires), 2D (Graphene, Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, MXenes), and 3D (nanoparticle bulk composites).
Applications span energy storage (supercapacitors with ultra-fast charge cycles, solid-state lithium batteries), environment (carbon aerogels for oil spill remediation, nano-filtration water membranes), and oncology (targeted nanoparticle drug delivery bypassing healthy tissue).
India launched the Nano Mission under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) as an umbrella programme for capacity building, infrastructure setup, and international collaborative research in nano science.
Key challenges highlighted in GS 3: Cytotoxicity, environmental persistence of non-biodegradable nanoparticles, and lack of standardized global toxicity metrics.
Subject & Syllabus Classification
