Predicting Technical Value Of Technologies Through Their Knowledge Structure

This thesis tests the hypothesis that the characteristics displayed by the knowledge structure of a high technical value invention is different from that of a low technical value invention. The knowledge structure crystalizes at the inception of the invention making it ideal for evaluating new inventions. More specifically, this research investigates two characteristics of the knowledge structure: knowledge accumulation and knowledge appropriation. Knowledge accumulation is defined as the collective body of knowledge gathered in a sector over time that has contributed to the creation of the invention. A higher degree of accumulated knowledge is more likely to be associated with high technical value inventions. Knowledge appropriation describes absorption of knowledge in the creation of the invention. From knowledge structure perspective knowledge absorption is observed by the emergence of edges that connect knowledge elements together. The robustness of this emergent knowledge structure is thus an indicator of the amount of knowledge appropriated by the invention. This research introduces a new metric for the measurement of knowledge accumulation and presents structural robustness as an indicator of knowledge appropriation. Knowledge accumulation and knowledge appropriation are hypothesized to be positively correlated with the technical value of the invention. This research tests the hypotheses by examining the citation networks of patents in four sectors: thin film photovoltaics, inductive vibration energy harvesting, piezoelectric energy harvesting, and carbon nanotubes. In total 152 base inventions and over 4000 patents are investigated. This research shows that knowledge accumulation is a significant predictor of the technical value of an invention and that high value inventions show a higher level of knowledge appropriation

Patent Information Retrieval: Approaching a Method and Analyzing Nanotechnology Patent Collaborations

ArticleThis is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.Many challenges still remain in the processing of explicit technological knowledge documents such as patents. Given the limitations and drawbacks of the existing approaches, this research sets out to develop an improved method for searching patent databases and extracting patent information to increase the efficiency and reliability of nanotechnology patent information retrieval process and to empirically analyse patent collaboration. A tech-mining method was applied and the subsequent analysis was performed using Thomson data analyser software. The findings show that nations such as Korea and Japan are highly collaborative in sharing technological knowledge across academic and corporate organisations within their national boundaries, and China presents, in some cases, a great illustration of effective patent collaboration and co-inventorship. This study also analyses key patent strengths by country, organisation and technology

Windshield Defrost and Deice Using Carbon Nanotube Composite

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are well known for their high thermal and electrical conductivities and can offer a great advantage by converting the applied electrical energy into instant heat with minimum energy loss. The goal of this research is to develop a very thin CNT layer sandwiched between two layers ofglasssubstrate in order to generate instant heat through electrodes. The thin CNT layer is fabricated using the CNTRENETM solution, which is a mixture of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) (~75%), double-walled nanotubes (DWNTs), and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) with an average CNT length of ~0.4 - 0.6 μm. The thin layer is deposited by spin coating the CNTRENETM solution on the transparent glass substrate. By varying the number of coated layers, the effects of optical transmittance and heating rates are observed. Results show that a room temperature specimen reaches 60 °C within 80 seconds, reproducing the same results over time. This technique can be used to develop a transparent conductive film heater, particularly for defrosting or deicing windshields, and can also be applied to other surface types that need instant heating. This research can replace conventional heaters, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), which are fabricated either by dielectrophoresis or piece-wise alignment

Mapping Nanomedicine Terminology in the Regulatory Landscape

A common terminology is essential in any field of science and technology for a mutual understanding among different communities of experts and regulators, harmonisation of policy actions, standardisation of quality procedures and experimental testing, and the communication to the general public. It also allows effective revision of information for policy making and optimises research fund allocation. In particular, in emerging scientific fields with a high innovation potential, new terms, descriptions and definitions are quickly generated, which are then ambiguously used by stakeholders having diverse interests, coming from different scientific disciplines and/or from various regions. The application of nanotechnology in health -often called nanomedicine- is considered as such emerging and multidisciplinary field with a growing interest of various communities. In order to support a better understanding of terms used in the regulatory domain, the Nanomedicines Working Group of the International Pharmaceutical Regulators Forum (IPRF) has prioritised the need to map, compile and discuss the currently used terminology of regulatory scientists coming from different geographic areas. The JRC has taken the lead to identify and compile frequently used terms in the field by using web crawling and text mining tools as well as the manual extraction of terms. Websites of 13 regulatory authorities and clinical trial registries globally involved in regulating nanomedicines have been crawled. The compilation and analysis of extracted terms demonstrated sectorial and geographical differences in the frequency and type of nanomedicine related terms used in a regulatory context. Finally 31 relevant and most frequently used terms deriving from various agencies have been compiled, discussed and analysed for their similarities and differences. These descriptions will support the development of harmonised use of terminology in the future. The report provides necessary background information to advance the discussion among stakeholders. It will strengthen activities aiming to develop harmonised standards in the field of nanomedicine, which is an essential factor to stimulate innovation and industrial competitiveness.JRC.F.2-Consumer Products Safet

Photocatalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

This book aims to provide an overview of how photocatalysis can be employed in water and wastewater treatment. Each chapter will attend to a different area of interest, starting with an introduction on the fundamentals of photocatalysis. The covered topics include metal organic frameworks (MOFs), photocatalytic reactor types and configurations, landfill leachate treatment, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar photocatalytic wastewater treatment. In addition, the final two chapters provide fresh new insight, by analyzing international patents on photocatalytic materials, solar photocatalysis, and nanotechnology

Photocatalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

This book aims to provide an overview of how photocatalysis can be employed in water and wastewater treatment. Each chapter will attend to a different area of interest, starting with an introduction on the fundamentals of photocatalysis. The covered topics include metal organic frameworks (MOFs), photocatalytic reactor types and configurations, landfill leachate treatment, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar photocatalytic wastewater treatment. In addition, the final two chapters provide fresh new insight, by analyzing international patents on photocatalytic materials, solar photocatalysis, and nanotechnology

End-of-life analysis of nanotechnology products

Previous research has shown that thermodynamic properties including melting point and specific heat capacity of nanomaterials may be higher than that of their corresponding bulk materials. The melting point elevation and specific heat capacity enhancement of nanomaterials may result in increased energy consumption and waste gases emission at the end-of-life (EOL) stage where the products containing nanomaterials are recycled by high temperature metal recovery (HTMR) process. In this dissertation, the effect of physical characteristics of nanomaterials, referred to as physicochemical parameters, on their melting temperature and specific heat capacity was investigated. In addition, physical, chemical, and thermodynamic properties of nanomaterials embedded inside commercially available lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery were examined by various characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermodynamic analysis techniques with life cycle assessment (LCA) were used to investigate the environmental impacts of nanomaterials during the EOL material recovery stage due to their unusual thermodynamic properties. As opposed to the energy analysis result, the exergy analysis showed that the chemical reactions that occur during the reduction and smelting processes are the primary sources of exergy loss. If the smelting temperature is increased to fully melt down nanomaterials with unusually high melting point, under assumptions of constant heat flux, the smelter may operate for a longer period of time resulting in substantial amount of exergy loss and carbon dioxide emission. It was also shown that the reduction process consumes larger amount of energy to raise the temperature of nanomaterials with specific heat capacity enhancement, as opposed to bulk materials. Design for environment (DFE) guideline was developed to improve process performance and risk management. Potential vulnerabilities to recycling of nanomaterials as well as recommended product design and process modifications are summarized. Finally, a novel exergy footprint was formulated as a sustainable and environmental impact metric that provides a meaningful understanding of the environmental impact of a product or a process. The consumption and flow of exergy in the US economy is defined in terms of five functional categories: materials, transportation, food, water, and direct energy carriers. To illustrate the exergy footprint calculation, the environmental impact associated with the HTMR process measured in terms of exergy loss and exergy consumption were compared to the exergy consumption at a national level

Nanotechnology: advantages and drawbacks in the field of construction and building materials

Nanotechnology seems to hold the key that allows construction and building materials to replicate the features of natural systems improved until perfection during millions of years. This paper reviews current knowledge about nanotechnology and nanomaterials used by the construction industry. It covers the nanoscale analysis of Portland cement hydration products, the use of nanoparticles to increase the strength and durability of cimentitious composites, the photocatalytic capacity of nanomaterials and also nanotoxicity risks

Photocatalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

This book aims to provide an overview of how photocatalysis can be employed in water and wastewater treatment. Each chapter will attend to a different area of interest, starting with an introduction on the fundamentals of photocatalysis. The covered topics include metal organic frameworks (MOFs), photocatalytic reactor types and configurations, landfill leachate treatment, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar photocatalytic wastewater treatment. In addition, the final two chapters provide fresh new insight, by analyzing international patents on photocatalytic materials, solar photocatalysis, and nanotechnology

Photocatalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

This book aims to provide an overview of how photocatalysis can be employed in water and wastewater treatment. Each chapter will attend to a different area of interest, starting with an introduction on the fundamentals of photocatalysis. The covered topics include metal organic frameworks (MOFs), photocatalytic reactor types and configurations, landfill leachate treatment, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar photocatalytic wastewater treatment. In addition, the final two chapters provide fresh new insight, by analyzing international patents on photocatalytic materials, solar photocatalysis, and nanotechnology