Nanotech firms need to focus on markets

Dan Rogers - 14 Jun 2010

Nanotechnology developers need to focus on responding to market pull after years of pushing the technology.

That was the conclusion of Tim Harper, founder of nanotechnology information firm Cientifica and president of nanotechnologies at Envision, a company aiming to commercialise technology in healthcare, energy and water desalination.

The call came at NanoMaterials 2010, which took place on 8-10 June in London. Harper spoke at the conference on 'Trends and opportunities for nanomaterials' and urged nanomaterials companies to change their approach to building a nanotechnologies industry.

Harper suggested that companies needed to move from a passive role - developing new materials that offer great potential - to an active role of using these materials to address social needs.

And Harper highlighted the significant opportunities for nanomaterials in the emerging printed electronics industry. Solar cells, RFID and smart packaging, displays and medical diagnostics are amongst the plastic electronic technologies that can use nanomaterials in sensors, conductive layers and inks for printing circuitry.

Harper noted the need to replace indium tin oxide (ITO), a conductive layer used in flat-panel displays and thin-film solar cells.

Another possibility highlighted in Harper's presentation was the move towards point-of-care diagnostics - previously noted by +Plastic Electronics - which involves the use of hand-held devices combining printed electronics and nanosensors.

Commercial failures

The need for a new approach was underlined by the failure of companies that had previously sought to capitalise on the emerging nanotechnology markets.

Harper's presentation noted that companies such as Oxonica (which lost a legal battle over product royalties to Neuftec in 2009) failed because 'all its products were based on nanoparticles... and these products can quickly become commoditised.'

Instead of focusing on the nanomaterials themselves - which over the past few years have become more familiar - Harper urged companies to now look at how nanomaterials can be put to use.

'The rather obvious conclusion is that we need to incorporate nanomaterials in products that address real market needs,' he noted.

And the presentation suggested that materials currently relied upon for electronic devices - such as ITO - are amongst the 'rare earth' resources that could quickly increase in price in the coming years. As a result, innovations in replacing such materials with nanotechnologies could avoid steep increases in material costs in the future.

Harper commented: 'Global demand for rare earths has tripled over the past 10 years [from 40,000 tonnes to 120,000 tonnes], and China now controls 97% of the global supply of 17 rare earth materials.'

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