Quo vadis, worldwide nanoindustry?

Abstract

An overview of key stages in nanotechnology progress and the world nanoindustry market development has been carried out. A comprehensive analysis of patents, including the growth rate of numbers of patent applications from 2001 to 2014; patent distributions between countries, institutes, and companies; and a compilation of main areas in patent protection is given. The main part of the review is devoted to trends in three primary clusters in nanoindustry: nanomaterials, nano(opto)electronics, and nanomedicine. Characteristics of the most interesting products and technologies in the main fields of interest are presented, including classification, market value, and main applications.