Nanoimprinting and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

The Brundtland Report (“Our Common Future”) from 1987 (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf) defines sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainability comprises three dimensions: environmental, economic and social. There is often a focus on environmental topics, especially in the context of the global climate and biodiversity crisis. The UN defined the 17 well-known Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals), which address all three pillars of sustainability.

As scientists, researchers and engineers, we are working on topics which will influence the future; therefore, sustainability has to be an important aspect of our work.

Nanoimprinting has several key features which makes it very interesting for a broad range of applications, both in industry and research. It facilitates the replication of micro- and nanoscale features in a fast and cost-efficient process, allows the direct (additive) patterning of functional materials and can also be applied on complex and curved surfaces. Many applications that are realized with nanoimprinting already address sustainability aspects such as antireflective structures for photovoltaics or antifouling structures for ships. On the other hand, nanoimprinting itself can be a process which is run in a sustainable, energy- and resource-efficient way, potentially using materials from renewable sources.

This Special Issue aims to collect contributions dealing with the sustainability of nanoimprinting itself as well as with research and applications with a clear sustainability aspect that have been realized using nanoimprinting. It hopes to stimulate discussions and research for a more sustainable future.

Dr. Michael Mühlberger
Guest Editor

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• nanoimprint lithography
• nanoimprinting
• sustainability
• sustainable micro- and nanopatterning processes
• nanoimprint-based applications for sustainability