Our resources are finite. They have also become more difficult to secure. Geopolitical instability, conflicts, inflation and the geographical concentration of production mean that access to raw materials has become a strategic issue for many industries.
Critical metals are a particularly striking example of this vulnerability. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, gallium and tungsten are essential to batteries, renewable energy, digital technologies, defence and the space sector. Yet their supply chains remain highly concentrated. The European Union has therefore set targets for 2030 to strengthen the extraction, processing and recycling of these materials within Europe.
Nanomaterials: Reducing the Amount of Material Required
In this context, nanomaterials can provide an initial response: doing more with less material.
At the nanoscale, the surface-area-to-volume ratio increases significantly. A greater proportion of atoms is accessible at the material’s surface, where many reactions take place. In catalysis, this property can reduce the amount of metal required to achieve a given level of activity, particularly when precious or critical metals are involved.
The objective is therefore no longer simply to replace a scarce material. It is also to use it more efficiently by controlling the size, shape, composition and functionalisation of nanoparticles.
Cost-Effective Materials When Assessed in Use
The price per kilogram of nanomaterials may appear high. However, this comparison does not accurately reflect their cost in use. Nanomaterials require only small quantities of active material and can improve yields or reduce energy consumption. Against a backdrop of rising raw material prices, their relative cost has never been so competitive.
The key consideration is not merely the purchase price, but the performance achieved for every gram used.
Producing More Efficiently, Removing Pollution and Recovering Resources
Nanomaterials can also help make industrial processes more resource-efficient. More active, selective and recoverable nanocatalysts can reduce the consumption of reagents, energy and metals. When they possess magnetic properties, they can be separated more easily from the reaction medium, enabling their recovery and reuse.
To address these challenges, SON has developed a comprehensive range of nanocatalysts. The potential benefits are considerable: improving efficiency while using fewer chemicals and consequently reducing pollution.
In water treatment, functionalised nanoparticles can capture certain metallic pollutants. This approach goes beyond pollution removal: it can also help recover materials from effluents and support their reintegration into a circular economy.
Designing Truly Sustainable Nanomaterials
Nanotechnologies are not inherently sustainable. Their benefits must be demonstrated throughout their entire life cycle, including precursor selection, synthesis conditions, energy consumption, performance in use, recovery, reuse and end of life. The risks associated with dispersion and ecotoxicity must also be assessed.
Only under these conditions can nanomaterials become genuine tools for industrial sovereignty—not by creating new dependencies, but by reducing pressure on resources, securing industrial processes and making more intelligent use of available materials. Several relevant use cases are presented here.
At SON, we use a highly energy-efficient production process. Why? Because this reflects our core conviction: as resources become scarcer, innovation can no longer be limited to producing more. It must enable us to programme matter and use it more effectively.