Nanomaterials describe, in principle, materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 to 1000 nanometres (10−9 meter) but usually is 1 to 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale).
Depletion and the negative environmental impact of fossil fuels are the main drivers behind the quest for renewable energy technologies. EU-funded scientists studied the potential of newly developed prototype devices to exploit geophysical flows.