Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
(c)
Most used nanomaterials
350
300
03/2006
03/2011
250
200
150
100
50
0
(d)
Assessed nanomaterials in LCA studies
25
20
Carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanofibers
Fullerenes
15
10
5
0
FIGURE 11.4 (Continued)
Evolution of LCA studies in parallel with commercialization of nanomaterials. (a and c:
Retrieved from the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholar—Project on Emerging
Nanotechnologies, 04/2012.)
strong focus on carbon nanotubes, while silver, nanoclay, silicon and silica,
and titanium were the focus of less than five studies each (Figure 11.4d).
Comparing with the use of nanomaterials on the market, as in Figure 11.4c,
this observed distribution appears to better correlate to the situation in 2006
than to that of 2011.
This confirms the existence of a lag time between LCA practice and
the commercialization of the nanoproducts. It also tends to indicate the
