Strategic Issues - European Union

摘要

The global market for nanomaterials is estimated at 11 million tonnes, with a market value of €20 billion. Whilst primarily based on materials in use for decades, such as carbon black (mainly used in tyres) or synthetic amorphous silica (used in a variety of applications including tyres, toothpaste or as an anticoagulant in food powders) more recent developments have included consumer products such as UV filters in sun creams. Future potential use includes medical and technical applications such as tumour therapies, lithium-ion batteries for electrical cars, and solar panels. With such potential, nanomaterials have been identified as a key enabling technology and products underpinned by nanotechnology are forecast to grow to €2 trillion by 2015.