Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining attention in general science and engineering. AI emphasizes the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent humanlike behavior to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence.

As a matter of fact, the concept of AI has been introduced into the field of environmental engineering in the past decade to design and fabricate intelligent environmental nanomaterials toward beneficial uses. Given the inherent complexity and stochastic nature of environmental problems, environmental nanomaterials can greatly benefit from an “intelligent” design, for instance, the ability to change their properties depending on the environmental conditions. The key to the design of an environmental intelligent nanomaterial is entrusting the nanomaterials with a proactive functionality instead of a reactive functionality, which endows them with anticipatory, change‐oriented, and self‐initiated behavior. As a consequence, these intelligent nanomaterials could perceive their surroundings and subsequently take automated actions or make self‐adjustments for the purpose of maximizing their possibility to achieve their desired goal.

Nevertheless, the artificially intelligent environmental nanomaterials still remain at their early infant stage, but undoubtedly, they are gaining fast popularity and expected to offer disruptive technologies for next‐generation environmental treatment processes.

Despite the fact that the concept of intelligent materials has been existing for a while, there is still a big gap between what artificially intelligent materials are perceived and what they can truly offer in practical applications, especially in environmental problem solving. There is thus an urgent need of a book to bridge the gap.

This book focuses on the design and application of various artificially intelligent nanomaterials to solving environmental problems, especially water and air pollution. It aims to help the readers who are passionate at the environmental quality and the futuristic ways of improving it. It would certainly help to illustrate to the readers the convergence between AI and nanotechnology that can shape the path for many technological developments in the field of environmental engineering.

This book demonstrates the design concepts, majorly chemical principles, of intelligent environmental nanomaterials and provides eye‐opening proof‐of‐concept examples in relevant and significant applications.

The book includes the following chapters: introduction, describing the background of environmental nanotechnology, the rise of AI, and the current status quo of AI in environmental engineering (Chapter 1), intelligently functional materials and responsive mechanisms (Chapter 2), designing filtration membranes with responsive gates (Chapter 3), switchable wettability materials for controllable oil/water separation (Chapter 4), self‐healing materials for environmental applications (Chapter 5), emerging nanofibrous air filters for PM_2.5 removal (Chapter 6), self‐propelled nanomotors for environmental applications (Chapter 7), molecular imprinting in wastewater treatment (Chapter 8), and emerging synergistically multifunctional and all‐in‐one nanomaterials and nanodevices in advanced environmental applications (Chapter 9).

This book is intended for undergraduates, graduates, scientists, and professionals in the fields of environmental science, materials science, chemistry, chemistry engineering, etc. It provides coherent and good materials for teaching, research, and professional reference. It is our sincere hope that this book would inspire further research efforts especially from younger generation to develop advanced artificially intelligent nanomaterials for the enhancement of the overall quality of the environment and human health.