what is this thing called nanotechnolgy ?
The twentieth century gave birth to plastics and revolutionized the material world we live in. All that was based on understanding one element in the periodic table: Carbon.
What nanotechnology is doing is opening up the entire periodic table of some one hundred elements to set up their own boutiques; plus multi-element composites.
Now we must revisit every application and ask:
- Is there a new formulation that will do the job better?
- Is there better utility in a new combination of properties?
The National Nanotechnology Initiative website has a definition of nanotechnology and a listing of applications and products.
Most applications of nanotechnology will not be disruptive; quite the contrary: products like sunscreens and scratch-resistant coatings are not even advertised as such. Customers do not buy nanotechnology; they buy features and performance.
What is disruptive about nanotechnology is that in offering new ways of doing, it will challenge every product in every industry. The confident purveyors of the tried and tested will go under. The vigilant seekers and adopters of the new will survive and prosper.
Many new nanotechnology companies will fail as a result of not knowing where their competitive advantage lies, and not seeking the right partner early enough to navigate their way to the marketplace.
