Abstract
This paper presents the development of nanotechnology between 2000 and 2016 as reflected in the Web of Science papers, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), World International Property Organization (WIPO) patents, and National Science Foundation (NSF) awards, with a special reference to the United States (US), European Union (EU27), P.R. China, Japan, and South Korea. The field of nanotechnology is branching out into novel scientific and technology platforms, and it is increasingly difficult to separate foundational nanoscale components from divergent application areas. The average global growth rate has been sustained at about 15% for both papers and patents in the selected interval. The growth rates among regions are non-uniform. P.R. China and South Korea have increased faster in both the numbers and quality of their scientific publications, and currently P.R. China has the largest volume of nanotechnology publications and South Korea the most publications per capita in the field of nanotechnology. The US, EU27, and Japan are maintaining leadership in the upstream, better cited, conceptual components of nanotechnology research and development.
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Funding
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at the University of Arizona under grant number CMMI-1249210. The fourth co-author was supported by the Directorate for Engineering in NSF. The first three co-authors received funding from NSF under grant number CMMI-1249210, and the work of the fourth co-author was supported by the NSF’s Directorate for Engineering.
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Zhu, H., Jiang, S., Chen, H. et al. International perspective on nanotechnology papers, patents, and NSF awards (2000–2016). J Nanopart Res 19, 370 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-4056-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-4056-7