According to a new technical market research report, Nanotechnology: A Realistic Market Assessment (NAN031E) from BCC Research, the global market for nanotechnology was valued at nearly $20.1 billion in 2011 and should reach $20.7 billion in 2012. Total sales are expected to reach $48.9 billion in 2017 after increasing at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7%.
- The market for nanotechnology can be broken down into three segments: nanomaterials, nanotools, and nanodevices.
- Nanomaterials are expected to have sales worth $15.9 billion in 2012 and $37.3 billion in 2017, a CAGR of 18.6%.
- Nanotools should total nearly $4.8 billion in 2012 and $11.4 billion in 2017, a CAGR of 19.1%.
- The nanodevices market is expected to be worth $45.3 million in 2012 and $176.2 million in 2017, a CAGR of 31.2%.
Nanotechnology -the creation and utilization of materials, devices, and systems through the manipulation of matter at scales of less than 100 nanometers - is an enabling technology, which is important chiefly due to its impact on established industries and markets.
At the sub-100 nanometer (nm) scale, the properties that characterize larger systems do not necessarily apply. Nanostructured metals are generally harder than macroscale metals, nanoceramics are softer, and some nanoalloys are harder up to a point, then softer. Nanoscale materials' light-absorption properties also differ from macroscale materials; some materials become transparent if the particles are small enough. Because nanomaterials have large surface areas relative to their volumes, phenomena like friction and sticking are more important than they are in larger systems.