Metrology and Standardization for Nanotechnology

Protocols and Industrial Innovations

Elisabeth Mansfield, Debra L. Kaiser, Daisuke Fujita, Marcel Van de Voorde, Elisabeth Mansfield, Debra L. Kaiser, Daisuke Fujita, Marcel Van de Voorde

• Publisher: Wiley-VCH
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9783527340392
• eBook ISBN: 9783527800292
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Materials Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

For the promotion of global trading and the reduction of potential risks, the role of international standardization of nanotechnologies has become more and more important. This book gives an overview of the current status of nanotechnology including the importance of metrology and characterization at the nanoscale, international standardization of nanotechnology, and industrial innovation of nano-enabled products.
First the field of nanometrology, nanomaterial standardization and nanomaterial innovation is introduced. Second, major concepts in analytical measurements are given in order to provide a basis for the reliable and reproducible characterization of nanomaterials. The role of standards organizations are presented and finally, an overview of risk management and the commercial impact of metrology and standardization for industrial innovations.

1
Introduction: An Overview of Nanotechnolgy and Nanomaterial Standardization and Opportunities and Challenges

Ajit Jillavenkatesa

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA

1.1 Standards and Standardization

Standards and standards development activities are of increasingly significant interest as these and associated products directly impact trade, technology, innovation, and hence competitiveness. A 1999 OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) report on Regulatory Reform and International Standardization¹ cites a study that estimated that 80% of trade (estimated to be about $4 trillion annually, at the time of the study) could be affected by standards or associated technical regulations. Given the growth in trade and number of countries that have joined the global trading system since this report appeared, it is clear that the impact of standards and their use as technical regulations have likely grown dramatically, and impacts trillions of dollars annually.

Standards have also national and local positive impacts, and multiple studies point to the benefits accruing from the development and use of standards and standardized approaches. An effort by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to compile studies on the economic benefits of standardization² included studies that showed in the United Kingdom standards made an annual contribution of GBP 2.5 billion to the economy, and 13% of the growth in labor productivity was attributed to standards. More locally, companies that participate in and use standards reap direct benefits from standards. The benefits span a broad spectrum of technologies and organizations and can range from large multinational companies with tens of thousands of employees to small enterprises with 10 to 20 employees.

Standards play a critical role as they represent an agreed-upon approach, and also form the lingua franca that enables clear and precise communication of intent and expectation. Applying this common language in communication and in processes provides predictability in performance and enables interoperability. Standards also reflect consensus among experts and often embody the state of the art in technology. Thus, standards can help achieve public policy objectives such as consideration of health and safety consideration of materials or products, enable technology innovation by providing common platforms upon which competitors and product developers can provide further value-added products and services, and enable interoperability by defining where and how interoperability is needed and desired.

All these directly benefit consumers and users through better products, improved performance, and reduced costs. Evidence of these benefits of standardization is seen in products as mundane as motor oil used to lubricate automotive engines, safety glasses and ladders used by tinkerers and home improvement professionals, and smartphones used by just about everyone. Smartphones represent a rather remarkable story of the success of standardization as they have evolved from large brick-sized (and just as heavy) contraptions capable of making scratchy phone calls that could last only a few minutes to amazingly complex handheld computers with remarkable computing power that have completely transformed every facet of our lives and all in about two decades.

1.2 Nanotechnology Standardization

Standards development in support of nanotechnology has now been underway in a range of international, regional, and national organizations for over 10 years. For a relatively recent activity, the progress made in these organizations is noteworthy. Standards development activities involve the development of documentary standards, measurement protocols, test specifications, and reference materials. Prior to examining the trajectory of nanotechnology standardization, it is important to understand some of the broader trends relating to technology standardization as that can provide some additional context to understand and appreciate nanotechnology standardization.

1.2.1 Technology Standardization

Technology standardization has been underway as an organized activity for centuries. Examples of early technology standardization are seen in guilds and similar collectives in Europe, where the guilds established common practices for measurements and tools among guild members.³ Examples of common measures and tools used to ensure equity in trade are seen in many museums in cities around Europe. Modern day standardization, as we know it, can be considered to have started more than a 100 years ago with the formation of formal groups to help develop common solutions to problems confronting technology deployment. An example of such a formally government-driven and government-organized activity was the convention in 1865 that established the predecessor to today's International Telecommunications Union to address challenges posed in exchange of telegraph traffic and associated tariffs. Another example of stakeholders organizing themselves into groups to address problems of engineering, production procurement through standards was the establishment of the International Association for Testing Materials, which organized working groups to discuss testing methods for iron, steel, and other materials supporting the railroad industry in the United States.⁴ This group paved the way for the formation of the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials in 1898, which is the predecessor to today's ASTM International.

Today, technology standards development is underway in many organizations that develop standards and specifications using models that are responsive to the needs of their members or the unique characteristics of the industries that support the standards development. The strong interest in technology-related standardization is driven in large part by an expanded awareness and understanding of the strategic value of standardization. Increased participation in standards development by countries that have not been traditional leaders or major contributors to standards is changing the landscape of standards development in many bodies. Many emerging economies are looking to both lead and actively participate in the development of international standards, by suggesting new ideas for standardization, bringing forward technologies for standardization, and actively supporting the participation of their experts in the development of technology standards. This increased participation is ensuring that standards have greater global relevance and applicability, but in some instances it is also leading to tensions in standards development in light of varying cultural differences and expectations.

1.2.2 Development of Standards for Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology standardization is being driven by a combination of factors that create a push–pull dynamic. As nanotechnology and nanomaterials are increasingly being used in commercial applications, nanotechnology-related standardization is helping by developing common vocabularies and terminologies and by providing standardized testing techniques that can inform important decisions about potential risks relating to these materials. Simultaneously, developments in applying measurement existing techniques to assess materials and properties in the nanoscale range, and the advent of new techniques for measurement, are also informing the development of standards for nanotechnology and nanomaterials.

Though standards development activities in the size range considered to be nanoscale have been underway for many years, standardization specifically for the purpose of elucidating properties of nanomaterials and for enabling nanotechnology can be considered to have started in the early 2000s. This timing also tracks the development of many national initiatives focusing on nanotechnology such as the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in the United States, which was established in 2000. Two efforts in the development of international standards for nanotechnology and nanomaterials were initiated in 2005. ISO established Technical Committee (TC) 229, or ISO TC229, on nanotechnologies with initial efforts focused on developing standards for terminology and nomenclature, metrology and instrumentation, and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) practices.⁵ ISO TC229 later expanded its scope of activities to develop standards for material specifications relating to nanomaterials. ASTM International's Committee E56's initial efforts focused largely on standards both for physical, chemical, and toxicological measurements and for safe handling of nanomaterials.⁶ Later, E56 broadened its efforts to include common file formatting of nanomaterial data and education and workforce training for nanotechnology. In early 2007, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) established Technical Committee 113 to develop standards for “technologies relevant to electronic products and systems in the field of nanotechnology.”⁷ IEC TC113's initial scope of work included standardization for components and intermediate assemblies made of nanoscale materials, their properties and functionalities, final products that used these components, and standardization in v...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Series Editor Preface
• About the Series Editor
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction: An Overview of Nanotechnolgy and Nanomaterial Standardization and Opportunities and Challenges
• Part One: Nanotechnology Basics: Definitions, Synthesis, and Properties
• Part Two: Metrology for Engineered Nanomaterials
• Part Three: Nanotechnology Standards
• Part Four: Risk-Related Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials
• Part Five: Nanotechnology-based Products, Applications, and Industry
• Index
• End User License Agreement