Assessing the Sustainability of Energy-Related Nanomaterial Synthesis: Emphasizing the Need for Energy-Efficient Nanomaterial Preparation Techniques

Abstract

Sustainable energy has always been the top-priority research discussion, and nanomaterials in energy applications have facilitated the achievement of this goal. For the first time, this review highlights the subtle, overlooked, unaccounted expenditure of energy going into nanomaterial synthesis. In the present article, we give a brief overview of the various nanomaterials used in energy applications and present their general synthesis methods. The lack of data/information on the energy expended on nanomaterial synthesis has been critically pointed out. The alternative, energy-saving, energy-efficient methods, considering sustainability even at the nanomaterial synthesis level, have been put forth as recommendations. This article aims at creating an awareness towards planning of holistic sustainable energy-efficient nanomaterial synthesis processes that will conserve energy. The question projected is: what is the purpose of losing energy during synthesis of energy producing and energy storing nanomaterials?