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reportCarbon based nanomaterials
3.2.6 Current situation within the EU
Within the EU numerous research institutions and groups are involved in carbon nanomaterial research and development. From a qualitative view they frequently even belong to the front end of worldwide research in their proper items. However, the quantity of research as well as the transition from research to commercializable applications looks often much worse in comparison to other world regions. Taking the situation of CNT research and applications exemplarily, the number of scientific publications and patent applications as well as of public funding activities ranges far behind those of the US and Japan. The situation is similar e. g. for graphene and aerogel research. Both recognized as promising materials for a variety of applications, one has to realize a vast majority of appropriate research to be localized currently within the USA.
And even european companies appear to be clearly reserved concerning both the utilization of carbon based nanomaterials and investments into appropriate R&D. Whereas in the electronics sector, including displays, Japan and other east asian countries as well as the US are fundamentally dominating applied and transfer research, the european position appears to be more promising in the areas of energy storage, environmental applications, composite materials and nano-toxicity research. Meanwhile, a number of european companies has shown an increasing interest in new electrode materials as well as in carbon based composite materials. In 2007 first large scale production plants for CNTs have e. g. been installed by Bayer Materials Sciences in Germany. The production meanwhile has been enhanced to several hundred tons per year.
In the area of more established carbon nanomaterials the european position is even more promising. In the carbon black sector for example european companies manufacture considerable amounts of the global production and appear to be competitive on the world markets. Evonik Industries e. g. provides an annual carbon black production capacity of around 160.000 metric tons. Its production plant is currently the second largest in the world.
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