UMWELTnanoTECH

ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

1 Coordination and research project for the project association "Environmentally compatible applications of nanotechnology"

The acceptance of new technologies goes hand-in-hand with their environmentally responsible use. Especially when the short and long-term consequences of a technology are not fully clear, the development of environmentally-friendly applications is a desirable goal. In this way, awareness of the opportunities and the potentials of new technologies can be increased and an issue-relevant discussion in public and in the professional world can be encouraged.
Dynamic research areas such as nanotechnology are continuously tapping new applications and are branching out into adjacent topic areas. The definition of nanotechnology is therefore changing over time. The areas of focus "organic photovoltaics", "energy storage devices" and "thermoelectricity" are being elaborated in the UMWELTnanoTECH project association. Research is done on new molecules and structures as well as on improved study methods which will expand the current scope of understanding of nanotechnology.
In order to keep up with this this rapid development, reviews and meta-studies are often prepared and published. Here experts pick out the relevant literature and compile the most important discoveries. As long as this specialised area remains easy to follow for individuals or sufficiently small groups, this works very efficiently. In the past few decades, ratings, rankings and bibliometric processes have been enhanced to a considerable degree. It is the goal of all of these processes to quantify quality in science and thereby make it more visible.
The coordination office initially uses these processes with the goal of resolving research in nanotechnology on a regional level. In addition, a trend radar should be created. It can be used to identify new and aspiring research approaches. For this purpose, roadmaps are created based on the state of the art in the respective areas of focus. The methods applied in the Association are compared to competing approaches.