Investing in the nanotechnology market.

Nanotechnology—whether it’s the actual production of the nanomaterials themselves or their implementation into various applications and markets—is one of the largest growing industries in the world. It is an industry that has been rapidly developing, advancing and growing over the last ten years and is expected to grow to $125 billion by 2024—roughly double what it is now. The markets in which nanomaterials are expanding into are also growing, and new markets/applications are emerging year on year, so there has never been a better time to become a part of a growing scientific movement.

Nanotechnology is in almost every market segment and is now used in products around the world. While there are some geographical areas which are less developed, it is a global revolution and is not confined to a single geographical region. As it stands, the biomedical, energy, and electronics markets account for around 70% of the global nanotechnology market, with the largest application area being electronics. But these are not the only markets which invest a lot into nanotechnology. For example, the global defence market for nanotechnologies was valued in 2017 to be around $3 billion, and automotive market currently captures 5% of the market (although this is likely to experience a big increase in the coming years). But these are just some examples of the growth and the potential for anyone who wants to get involved with the nanotechnology sector.

As the moment, nanoparticles (in various forms) occupy 85% of the market share, but there are many nanomaterials which are at a tipping-point stage—and could be propelled to new heights in the coming years—so this dynamic could shift. One nanomaterial of note which is at this tipping-point is graphene. Graphene has exploded over the last few years and many products are now hitting the market around the world. This ranges from clothing to road surfaces, automotive parts, aerospace coatings, bike frames and many more in between. Graphene has found a lot of commercial use in many low-tech products, but there is likely to be a shift over the next few years to its inclusion in higher tech products—from batteries and electronic components, to display screens, and many different types of sensor, among others. This is a material where market confidence is high, but there is still a huge amount of growth potential; so, it is an ideal time for anyone to get on board with graphene before it passes the tipping point and becomes a highly established market.

Quantum dots are another example of a growing material and market. Largely unheard of in commercial applications for many years, there has a been a recent surge of using them in commercial products. While they are usable for high-tech imaging applications, they have found a lot of use in anti-counterfeiting coatings for various packaging products, and this is a material where the tip of the iceberg has only just been explored. There is much more to come.

These are just a couple of examples of the different types of materials which are up and coming from a commercial perspective and are only likely to grow in the next few years. Carbon nanotubes are another nanomaterial which has recently come in to favour again and has been finding new applications. Polymers have established themselves as a great host material for many nanomaterials in the composites market and their use is only likely to grow as more nanomaterials are tested, and new nanocomposite applications are found. Regardless of the material of interest, the market sector, or specific application, the field of nanotechnology has it all and there is something for every investor.

Nano Media Group has launched a dedicated nanotechnology investment platform, which supports remarkable technology to accelerate companies into global markets through impact investments. The platform, Invest In Nano, launched with an initial 2020 programme, that will be the begin a drive to bring together innovative nanotechnology companies and investors.

Nano. Posted: July 16, 2019.