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Nanotechnology--From Promising to Practical: The Role of Standards
Published
Author(s)
Stephen W. Freiman
Abstract
Products based upon nanotechnology represent a potential market for revolutionary new materials, particularly those where one or more dimension is less than 50 nm, e.g., films, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles. Commercialization of materials such as these will demand that consensus-based standards, e.g., common characterization and measurement techniques, be established. Such standards help facilitate commerce through more reproducible and consistent data, better specifications, and harmonized performance characteristics. In addition, standards can lend credibility to a new material, and help to educate the market as to the possibilities for applications. Examples illustrating a number of these points are presented. The needs for harmonized material measurement methods applicable to various segments of nanotechology will be emphasized. The beneficial role of pre-normative collaborations will also be discussed.