Consulting Resources Corporation
Quality Service Since 1981

Nanotechnology is an emerging field with huge promise.  We help clients understand and assess this promise in order to improve their strategic decision-making, and ultimate success.  To request details on how our nanotech consulting services, including our own CRC NANOTECH SCORECARD^SM, can benefit you, click here.

According to a recent study by Consulting Resources analysts, sales in the emerging U.S. nanotechnology business will grow dramatically from a base level of $500 million in 2004, to an impressive $25 billion by 2014.

We are at a very exciting stage of the nanotechnology industry’s development. Nanotechnology is following a very similar path to that of biotechnology after DNA was first successfully spliced. Many prudent companies are beginning to notice the impressive rate at which nanotechnology is progressing. Like biotechnology was 25 years ago, nanotechnology is now poised for extremely rapid growth.

Since the turn of the century, many exciting developments bringing nanotechnology towards commercial reality have occurred. Examples include the work done by researchers at IBM (Armonk, NY), who built working circuits using nanotubes. Another example is the work being done by researchers at SurroMed (Mountain View, CA) and at Pennsylvania State University, who are developing a system using microrods and nanoscale stripes as a nano-barcoding method for the detection of various biological agents.

Developments in nanotechnology go beyond work being done in the laboratory. There are real nanotechnology products already on the market, most notably those involving nanoparticles, nanocomposites, or other substances having unique nano-structures. One example of a nanotechnology company with products already on the market is Nanophase Technologies (Romeoville, IL), which specializes in nanoparticles. Nanophase derives millions of dollars in revenues from the sale of materials used in upscale sunscreens, which benefit from the unique properties imparted by ultra-small particles.

While there are already many significant nanotechnology products on the market, many more are expected in the coming decade. Much of this near-term growth will come from the area of nanocomposites, where companies such as Nanocor (Arlington Heights, IL) are working to produce substances that represent significant improvements over traditional fillers. These products offer physical enhancements such as increased strength and heat resistance, without many of the negative effects that would otherwise be expected. For example, because of their extremely small particle size, many nanocomponents can be added in greater concentrations than traditional materials without adversely affecting a substance’s various optical properties, such as transparency. This makes nanocomposites a prime candidate for use in a variety of consumer products, such as cars, where aesthetics are of great importance.

Key among nanoscale substances slated to find their way into nanocomposites are carbon nanotubes, with their unusual ability to greatly increase the strength and conductive properties of many materials. As well as promising to play an important role in nanoscale circuitry, carbon nanotubes, such as those produced by Hyperion Catalysis (Cambridge, MA), are likely to find their way into batteries and a variety of molded parts, such as those used in computers, where the buildup of static electricity is undesirable.

Smaller companies specializing in nanotechnology aren’t the only ones poised to benefit from the many opportunities presented. Virtually all of the powerhouses in the chemical process industry, ranging from DuPont (Wilmington, DE) to ExxonMobil (Irving, TX) to Praxair (Danbury, CT) and many others, are also active in this arena, many of them taking advantage of substantial R&D budgets. In 2006, these three companies rank respectively as green, blue and orange on our NANOTECH SCORECARD^SM.

Beyond the developments in the chemical industry, significant biological applications are also on the horizon. NanoSystems (King of Prussia, PA), for example, is working on coating drug nanoparticles with polymers in order to improve their solubility. Nanosphere (Northbrook, IL) has developed a system of detecting certain bio-molecules using nanoprobes. Others are successfully using nanoparticles to signal the presence of DNA, proteins, and other biological substances.

It is still too early to say exactly what impact nanotechnology will have on various industries. But with chemical, biotechnology, and other companies all moving in, nanotechnology is likely to become a great unifying science between these areas. This is the beginning of something truly great.

For more information regarding how we can help satisfy your consulting needs in this and other industries covered by Consulting Resources, please contact us with your questions.

For more information on our CRC NANOTECH SCORECARD^SM, please click here

U.S. NANOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCT SALES FORECAST*
(millions of dollars)

* Note: These numbers include, in 2004, such products as titanium-based nanoparticles, but exclude non-specialized carbon black particles which may fall into the under-100-nm range.  For the years 2009 and beyond, sales of nanostructured biomaterials, catalysts, diagnostics, electronics, and other products will become increasingly significant.