VT NanoEarth was created to serve the environmental, geo, and earth science and industry communities with state-of-the-art facilities and specialized staff to address nanoscale characterization and fabrication needs. Our site supports scholarly applications of nanoscience and technology to improve understanding of nanoscale interactions, involving natural, incidental, and manufactured nanomaterials, within Earth systems, as well as to enhance our ability to apply nanotechnology to solve challenges in the Earth sciences, as well as far-reaching and critical environmental issues.

Our center is housed in two facilities at the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS): the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Lab (NCFL) and the VT Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (VTSuN):

• NCFL is equipped with highly specialized equipment, including a broad array of high-end, state-of-the-art electron-, ion-, and X-ray-based characterization tools, sample preparation laboratories, as well as meeting space and ample office space for visitors.
• VTSuN houses extensive nanomaterials synthesis capabilities (in aqueous, soil/solid media, and atmospheric environments), characterization tools, and experimentation space, plus meeting rooms and additional office space for visitors.
• Additionally, our NNCI users have access to both the Virginia Tech site and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) depending on specific technical needs and geographic considerations.

The vision for VT NanoEarth is to dramatically accelerate growth of a field that is revolutionizing our understanding of the Earth and environmental sciences and engineering. Current interests range from paleo-bone studies based on TEM, to iron-based nano-structures in ferritin proteins; from the study of complex naturally-occurring nanomaterials at molecular and atomic resolution, to the global budget of inorganic nanoparticles and their overall role in Earth processes; and from nano-biogeochemistry within the Critical Zone specifically to the evolution and productivity of soils. Furthermore, we aim to serve scientists and engineers exploring the complex interactions between manufactured nanomaterials and the natural environment in terms of water, air, and soil impact, as well as biological effects and potential ecological repercussions. Key issues under study are the fate of manufactured nanomaterials in engineered and natural environments, the prospects of engineered nanomaterials to address environmental challenges from waterborne contaminant uptake to greenhouse gas sequestration; and the development of nano-enabled sensors to revolutionize aquatic and atmospheric observations.