Science, Technology, and Society

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Nanotechnology commercialization and convergence with other technologies

Module 008 – Nanotechnology

commercialization and convergence with other
technologies

This module contains the following topics:

1. Commercialization of Nanotechnology
2. Convergence of Nanoscience with other technologies

Commercialization of Nanotechnology
Discoveries in nanotechnology have continued to increase as technologies have advanced
and commercialization strategies have become better implemented. In 2013, for example,
the number of patents issued under the nanotechnology classification, as defined by the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), was 1,130. In fact, the last eight years (2006-
2013) have shown steady growth in the number of patents issued, with approximately 4x
as many issued in 2013 as in 2006.
A variety of industries manufacture products incorporating nanotechnology including
biomedical devices, home appliances, batteries, industrial lubricants, computers, cameras,
food and beverage, clothing, cosmetics, fashion and manufacturing. To appropriately
measure nanotechnology’s commercial successes, it is essential to first define what it is
exactly. The National Nanotechnology Institute defines nanotechnology as “the
understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100
nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.” 9 The United States
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) applies a similar definition of nanotechnology
(Patent Classification 977) and further specifies more than 250 subclassifications including
nanostructures with biological material component (subclass 702), carbon nanotubes
(subclass 742), atomic force probe (subclass 863) and specified use of nanostructures for
medical, immunological, body treatment, or diagnosis (subclass 904), gene therapy
(subclass 916), dental (subclass 919) and carrying or transporting (subclass 963).
Commercialization Strategies
There are two basic commercialization strategies for nanotechnology - product
innovation or process innovation.
 Product Innovation
Changes and advances in nanotechnology have resulted in commercial
successes in a variety of different industries. In most instances,
nanotechnology is used to facilitate a product innovation, often in response
to anticipated and/or actual demand for specific product characteristics. For
example, “a tennis racket made from a composite material which includes
CNTs to improve its mechanical properties is an attempt to create a
differentiated and improved product to gain market share” or a nanofiber
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 that, when used in conjunction with other materials, yields stronger and
lighter bicycle frames. In these example, much like real life, nanotechnology
is use to augment current technologies to enhance products and/or
processes which already exists. Indeed, considered in this light, it often is
easier to identify nanotechnology as a process rather than a product.
Nanotechnology provides the means by which a desired characteristic can be
achieved within a product market that already exists. In such cases, the use of
nanotechnology becomes almost an incremental decision – one that allows
for the achievement of a requisite characteristic already valued by the
market. The numerous other characteristics also included in the technology
also are valued and thus the potential for royalty stacking comes into play.
 Process Innovation
By contrast, process innovations are more embedded, but potentially more
radical. These tend to be much broader, focusing on developing new
technologies and thus new markets. For example, consider a hypothetical
self-repairing nanomachine in which demand is driven by the entirety of the
product.
Funding
Research and development spending and commercialization costs represent
significant barriers to entry for firms wanting to enter the nanotechnology
market. Development and manufacturing of equipment can be cost
prohibitive for firms with limited access to capital. Further, it also is
necessary to develop and maintain sufficient levels of human capital. As with
most other industries, access to capital markets for funding is vital to success.
For nanotechnology, the single largest share of investment funds comes from
corporations. In 2010, worldwide corporate funding amounted to
approximately $9 billion while the second largest share of investment funds,
federal funding, was just over $1 billion.

Nanosciences and its Convergence with other Technologies

Nanosciences and nanotechnologies are a rapidly growing field that already generates
many hopes within the scientific and technological community of future discoveries,
developments, and solutions to a number of societal problems. Simultaneously, fears of
possible negative and uncontrolled impacts on humans and the environment are also
developing steadily. In this paper, we propose a typology to classify these fears, which are
shown to be associated with images, metaphors, and symbols deeply rooted in the Western
religious tradition. However, we think that it is necessary, and urgent, to discern between
the hype, notably due to the media coverage of the field, and reality. Strangely enough, the
idea that there might be a problem with nanotechnologies first emerged amongst the
community of experts and promoters of this field, at a time when the general public was
not even aware of the existence/emergence of a nanoworld. Is it only initially a media
phenomenon?
Whatever the answer, we may have the opportunity, perhaps for the first time in the
history of science and technology, to consider simultaneously the developments of new
scientific knowledge and engineering capabilities with its impact on society and the
environment and, thus, to take in time appropriate decisions ‘to keep everything under
control’. In a potentially controversial context, political decision-makers have the
 Science, Technology, and Society
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Nanotechnology commercialization and convergence with other technologies

responsibility, with the active participation of scientists and engineers, to initiate,

stimulate, and organize the public debate. Their objective should be to clarify the actual
issues at stake, putting aside purely imaginary ones which rather belong to science fiction,
as well as to identify methodologies to tackle these issues and to implement regulations,
where necessary, to ‘master’ the development of nanotechnologies.
The difficulty of this task stems from the wide variety of (nano)objects, topics, and issues
associated with the expressions ‘nanosciences’ and ‘nanotechnologies’. Indeed,
nanoparticles, molecular robots, radiofrequency identification devices, etc., raise different
questions and call for specific solutions. The possible toxicity of nanoparticles, which may
be released massively in the environment, poses a different problem than the wide
commercial diffusion of RFIDs, which may endanger the privacy of personal information,
even in a democratic society.
The convergence of bio, nano, and information technology
Nature has seen the evolution of extremely intelligent and complex adaptive systems
to drive the biological processes found in everyday life. For example, a cell can fuse
information-rich genetic processes with nanometer-scale sensors and actuators,
becoming one of the most efficient autonomous molecular systems. These basic
processes that occur at the molecular level lead us toward a compelling engineering
approach: the fusion of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information science.
Nanotechnology has enabled the production of new materials and molecular-scale
devices. Biotechnological advancements have allowed scientists to physically
manipulate genetic pathways or engineering strains of proteins to possess novel
functionalities. Informatics has served as the catalyst for organizing and
understanding vast knowledge from a system point of view.
The fusion of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information science will culminate
in system architectures that can rival those that have taken millions of years to come
to fruition. With this comes the hope of achieving a fundamental comprehension of
how to manipulate and control cells on the molecular level. It will also enable us to
question just how much further we can push the envelope of human engineering.
The Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration (CMISE) is one of four NASA
University Research, Engineering and Technology Institutes for developing
technologies on the nanometer scale for the study of biological phenomena. With
these unique nano modalities, the Center for Cell Control (CCC), a National Institute
of Health Nanomedicine Development Center, will apply engineering feedback
control schemes to direct information-rich biological cells towards therapeutic use.
Nature's Model for Bio, Nano, and Information Fusion: the Living Cell
The cell is the most fundamental biological unit, a magnificent, self-organized
system that performs the complex processes of life. A cell consists of a large
number of functional macromolecules, such as the millions of proteins with
sizes ranging from one to tens of nanometers. Self organization of these
nanometer-scale machineries confined within a fluidic capsule forms a live
cell at a size scale of only a few micrometers.

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 Cellular activities are manifestations of the intra- and intermolecular
transports and motions of cellular molecules. These activities result in a
comprehensive set of functionalities: to sense (monitor its biological
surroundings and responses), to decide (evaluate incoming signals and
trigger an optimal response through information analysis), and to actuate
(modify its nanometer-scale surrounding to make it more suitable for
survival). The cell's responses to the internal and external stimulations
through organized molecular activities, governed by a complex information
processing network, render it an ideal model for a bio, nano, and information
fusion system.

References and Supplementary Materials

Online Supplementary Reading Materials
1. Commercialization of Nanotechnology;
http://www.micronomics.com/articles/Nanotechnology_Commercialization.pdf;
November 8, 2017
2. New Initiatives to Accelerate the Commercialization of Nanotechnology;
https://www.nano.gov/May2015Forum; November 8, 2017
3. New Initiatives to Accelerate the Commercialization of Nanotechnology;
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/05/20/new-initiatives-
accelerate-commercialization-nanotechnology; November 8, 2017
4. Nanosciences and its Convergence with other Technologies;
http://www.hyle.org/journal/issues/11-1/petit-laurent.pdf; November 8, 2017
5. The convergence of bio, nano, and information technology;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2953859/; November 8, 2017
6. Science and technology convergence: with emphasis for nanotechnology-inspired
convergence; https://nsf.gov/crssprgm/nano/MCR_16-
0714f_JNR_Perspectives_Convergence_Science_by%20Bainbridge_and_Roco_19p.pdf;
November 8, 2017
7. Patenting Natural Products after Myriad;
http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/assets/articlePDFs/v30/30HarvJLTech569.pdf;
November 8, 2017
8. Convergence and Multidisciplinarity in Nanotechnology;
https://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://au.search.yahoo.com/&http
sredir=1&article=1106&context=buschmarart; November 8, 2017