INTRODUCTION
REASON FOR STUDY AND ITS IMPORTANCE
"Nano-," once a seldom-used prefix found in the back of scientific
textbooks, has moved into the industrial mainstream. Literally, "nano"
represents 0.000000001, or 10-9, an extremely small quantity with
enormous implications for the miniaturization-driven technology of the
twenty-first century. Within the past two decades, a variety of terms sharing
the prefix "nano-," such as nanoparticle, nanomaterial, nanophase, and
nanostructured, have emerged to describe certain materials, technologies, and
even businesses; in fact, several firms listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange use
the prefix "nano-" in their company names. Although nano may not yet
be a household word, it is indeed well known within and increasingly vital to
the advanced materials community and high-technology business sector. In part
due to the credibility and visibility imparted by the National Nanotechnology
Initiative in early 2000, nanoterminology has become trendy, popular, and
representative of all that is high-tech in the materials world.
In 1997, Business Communications Co. (BCC) published a seminal
technical-market study of the nanomaterials field — a report that defined
the scope of the industry for the first time. Since then, the industry has
witnessed many changes: new entrants into the business; production scale-up
efforts; new commercialization strategies; and technological advancements. In
light of these developments, BCC opted to take a fresh look at the industry and
reevaluate the existing and potential markets for nanoparticulate materials. The
culmination of that research is a three-volume series of reports, which is
without question the most comprehensive source of industry information and
technical-market data on nanoparticulate materials available today.
OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY AND ITS CONTRIBUTION
This study fills a gap in the published literature on nanoparticles and
nanostructured materials. Although numerous technical papers and overview
articles address various aspects of nanomaterial technology, the literature
lacks a comprehensive, up-to-date, and realistic technical-market assessment of
nanomaterials over a broad range of applications. This report, GM-201A,
which is part one of a three-volume series, examines in detail electronic,
magnetic and optoelectronic applications for nanoparticulate materials. The
primary objectives of this study are to provide technological background,
detailed industry information, and market data and forecasts through 2005,
segmented by application and material type.
AUDIENCE FOR THIS REPORT
This report is a valuable resource for companies and organizations that are:
- involved in the commercialization of nanoparticulate materials and looking
for new market opportunities;
- interested in incorporating nanoparticles into new or existing products as
an end user;
- involved in nanomaterial research and development;
- in search of licensing opportunities for their nanoparticle synthesis or
processing technologies;
- seeking partners for their commercialization efforts; and
- looking for venture capital investment opportunities.
SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THIS REPORT
Defined broadly, the term "nanostructured" is used to describe
materials characterized by structural features of less than 100 nm in average
size. All of the materials discussed in this report are inorganic particulate
materials of submicron or nanoscale crystallite sizes. Nanoparticulate ceramics,
metals, alloys, and semiconductors in the form of dry powders, liquid
dispersions, coatings, and bulk materials are considered. Carbon black powders,
fullerenes and nanotubes are beyond the scope of this study, as are polymeric
nanoparticles. Nanotechnology, the building of components atom by atom, and
micromachines are not covered here.
The report begins with an Overview chapter that describes the various types
and forms of nanostructured materials and their properties, and the surprisingly
extensive history of the industry is detailed in a timeline. The Technology
chapter presents an overview of vapor phase, wet chemical, and solid-state
techniques in producing nanostructured particles, as well as dispersion,
coating, compaction, and self-assembly technologies. Major researchers and
institutions involved in nanoparticle studies are identified, and the chapter
concludes with an analysis of nanomaterials-related U.S. patents issued during
the past 2 years.
The Industry Structure chapter presents a who's-who of the nanomaterials
industry. Major and minor companies from the U.S. and around the world are
identified and profiled, and nanoparticulate products, pricing,
commercialization strategies and competition are discussed. The chapter
concludes with the identification of industrial recipients of nanomaterials-related
government funding awards during the past decade and a detailed collection of
company profiles.
In the World Markets chapter, current and emerging electronic, magnetic, and
optoelectronic applications for nanoparticles are identified and analyzed.
Within each application area, technological requirements, relevant production
technology, companies involved and the commercial status are discussed. Finally,
world markets for nanoparticles are presented as a function of application and
material type for 2000 and 2005.
Appendices provide listings of contact information for all of the industry
participants, as well as detailed timelines of industry events (including
company foundings, moves, expansions, acquisitions and collaborations), relevant
U.S. patent data, and government funding awards.
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
The data in this report were obtained from both primary and secondary
sources. Executives, engineers, managers, researchers, and salespeople from
companies and research institutions involved in the development, production,
and/or usage of nanostructured materials were interviewed in the course of this
study. Other data were obtained from an exhaustive review of patent literature
and government databases, as well as scientific, trade, and business journals.
BCC newsletters, reports, and conferences provided additional information.
ANALYST CREDENTIALS
Mindy N. Rittner, Ph.D., the author of this report, has been studying
nanoparticulate materials for nearly a decade, initially as a materials
researcher and more recently as a market analyst. In addition to nanomaterials,
Rittner follows other growing segments of the materials industry, including
metal matrix composites, powder metallurgy, and sputtering target materials. She
is the founder and editor of BCC's monthly newsletter, Nanoparticle News,
and the program chairwoman of BCC's annual nanopowder conference. Rittner earned
her Ph.D. from the Department of Materials Science at Northwestern University.
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