nanoREV.

Green Nanotechnology: Promise or Ploy?

Green chemistry has attracted a lot of attention in the past few years as a possible solution to the environmental uncertainties that have surrounded certain areas of nanotechnology. Science News provided a helpful overview of the environmental concerns about nanotechnology in an article last week. Although green chemistry is rapidly proving its value to emerging sustainability technologies, some of the reports on its interface with nanotechnology have all the trappings of a marketing campaign. I am confident that green chemistry can make a valuable contribution to our stewardship of nanotechnology, but am concerned that it is needlessly creating an opportunity for opponents of nanotechnology to dismiss it as "greenwashing."