Editorial: Advancements in sustainable nanotechnology, environment, and energy

of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [1]. Similarly, the World Health Organization and UNICEF reports that approximately 2.1-2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water [2]. Moreover, the transition toward low-carbon and resource-efficient technologies demands not only systemic change but also innovation at the material level (Saraji and Streimikiene, 2023;Giuzio et al., 2024). In this context, nanotechnology becomes a game changing emerging field, because nanomaterials have tunable physicochemical properties, higher surface reactivity, and scalable design methods that make them excellent platform for cleaning up the environment and making energy systems work better (Lotti Diaz et al., 2025;Chigwada and Tekere, 2026). This collection "Advancements in Sustainable Nanotechnology, Environment, and Energy", brings together focused contributions that collectively advance the development of environmentally benign nanomaterials (NMs) and sustainable technological pathways. The main goal of this research topic is to show new ideas that combine green/sustainable synthesis, waste valorization, and performance-driven wastewater and energy applications that follow the rules of a circular economy.At the materials frontier, the collection showed the eco-friendly synthesis routes for functional nanostructures/nanomaterials. The reported green synthesis of silver and copper NPs demonstrates the efficient catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol, validates the potential of NMs for water purification (Ignacy et al., 2026). Furthermore, Mg-substituted PrFeO₃ perovskites synthesized using waste-derived precursors demonstrate how resource recovery strategies can be integrated with advanced gas sensing technologies, particularly for acetone detection, thereby linking environmental sustainability with high-performance device applications (Middha et al., 2025).The fundamental insights into NMs behaviour are further explored through the study of surface-functionalized NPs in binary nanofluids (Muhammad and Endrino, 2025). By elucidating the influence of additives on surface tension, this work contributes to the optimization of interfacial properties that are central to enhanced heat transfer and improved energy system efficiency.Apart from materials level research, this collection also demonstrates the system-level analysis clean technology. The work on a marginal abatement cost analysis of cleaner power production alternatives provides a quantitative framework for evaluating the economic feasibility of energy transition pathways (Garcia et al., 2025). This viewpoint is crucial, as attaining global climate objectives necessitates both technological progress and economically viable, scalable implementation strategies.The papers in this collection cover three important topics: (i) synthesis of green/sustainable and waste-derived NMs, (ii) applications in environmental remediation and sensing, and (iii) incorporation of techno-economic metrics into the transformation of energy systems. These studies bolster the increasing realization that sustainable nanotechnology must function at the convergence of materials innovation, environmental responsibility, and economic feasibility.In summary, this research topic offers a succinct yet significant overview of emerging studies that enhance both the scientific understanding and practical implementation of sustainable nanotechnology. These insights encourage collaboration between different fields and speed up the establishment of scalable, affordable, and environmentally friendly solutions to global energy and environmental challenges.[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/chapter/chapter-6/?[2] https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/water-sanitation-andhealth/monitoring-and-evidence/wash-monitoring?