It’s been a few months since I first flagged this item for publication and things have changed somewhat in the US. It’s hard to be certain since webpages disappear sometimes but given the current frenzy to cut down on US government costs and the utter indifference (hostility?) the current president (Mr. Donald Trump) and his cohorts have shown towards environmental issues, it’s hard not to infer a message when a webpage hosting a commentary about US Army researchers working on nanotechnology solutions to climate change goes missing.
Luckily, articles about the commentary from the researchers were published elsewhere. From a December 25, 2024 article on statnano.com, Note: Links have been removed,
As part of the Nano4EARTH initiative, a national challenge launched by the White House and the National Nanotechnology Initiative, researchers are exploring how innovations at the nanoscale can lead to groundbreaking solutions for a more sustainable future.
Climate change poses a significant threat to national security, according to the Army’s published Climate Strategy. The Army has committed to aggressive goals to mitigate its own impact, including a 50% reduction in net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. Nanotechnology is seen as a critical tool in achieving these ambitious targets.
In a recent paper in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, co-author Dr. Mark Griep, a researcher with the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, said nano-enabled climate solutions are already transitioning to industrial scale-up, which will help reduce the “green premium” that can be limiting factor for widespread public adoption.
“The climate crisis demands bold, innovative solutions, and nanotechnology offers a unique opportunity to achieve the kind of step-changes needed to mitigate its effects,” Griep said. “By working collaboratively across sectors, we can harness the power of nanotechnology to create a more sustainable and resilient future for the Army and the nation.”
According to Griep, metal organic frameworks, known as MOFs [metal-organic frameworks], are being scaled up for greenhouse gases capture applications and should exceed the Department of Energy’s EarthShot carbon capture costs below $100 per ton and become a cost-effective technology.Griep said he believes the Army can engineer MOFs with catalytic functions for CO2-to-fuel opportunities.
“This would allow for nano-enabled solutions that not only contribute to decarbonizing the Army fleet but simultaneously enabling operational advantage through new fuel sources,” he said.
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“The Army is in a unique position to be an innovation leader for climate change solutions as the advanced technologies for achieving climate goals go hand-in-hand with increasing combat effectiveness,” Griep said. “Nano-enabled advancements to energy storage, water purification, and advanced structural materials will be game changers in the civilian world but play an even more crucial role in ensuring the Army’s operational resilience and capabilities in future combat environments.”
Other US government agencies were involved in the work including the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Here’s an October 9, 2025 US NIST posting about the paper by Lawrence Goodman written in a Q&A (question and answer) format for the agency’s Taking Measure blog (also on EurekAlert but published as an October 15, 2024 article), Note: Links have been removed,
When we think about the climate crisis, we tend to think big — it’s a global problem that requires global solutions.
But NIST scientists James Warren and Craig Brown also want us to think small, very small. They’re thinking at the nano-level, which is anywhere between 1 and 100 nanometers. That’s about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
In a just-published paper they co-authored with other federal government, industry and private foundation researchers, they call for a greater focus on nanotechnology’s potential role in combating climate change.
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You talk about using nanotechnology on windows to make buildings more energy efficient.
Warren: People are probably familiar with some of the coatings available now that selectively filter different types of sunlight. They work by allowing visible light to pass through while blocking certain wavelengths of infrared light that generate heat inside a house or building.
These are called chromic nanocoatings, and they contain nano-sized particles that can absorb, reflect or transmit different wavelengths of light in much more complicated ways. They can change color or transparency in response to temperature or the amount of sunlight — perhaps darkening to keep the sun out of a house at peak midday heat to keep the people inside cool without having to crank up the air conditioning. A recent research paper said chromic windows controlled by electricity, known as electrochromic windows, have the potential to save up to 40% of energy demand for building heating and cooling.
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Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,
Nanotechnology solutions for the climate crisis by Maria Fernanda Campa, Craig M. Brown, Peter Byrley, Jason Delborne, Nicholas Glavin, Craig Green, Mark Griep, Tina Kaarsberg, Igor Linkov, Jeffrey B. Miller, Joshua E. Porterfield, Birgit Schwenzer, Quinn Spadola, Branden Brough & James A. Warren. Nature Nanotechnology volume 19, pages 1422–1426 (2024) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01772-5 Published online: 09 October 2024 Issue Date: October 2024
This paper is open access.
It seems that Nano4EARTH is still a functioning part of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which is itself still functioning, as of this writing on March 10, 2025.