Advanced Materials And Nanotechnology

This group includes elements that could be key in highly disruptive future developments. On one hand, advanced materials are considered potential lower-cost substitutes with greater properties compared to existing materials, leading to new products and services with greater added value and offering important improvements in different fields. On the other hand, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies have the potential to lead to radical advances in vital fields like health, energy, the environment and manufacturing.

HIGH PERFORMANCE MATERIALS

The category of high-performance materials includes the design and/or development of new materials with which to improve one or several specific properties. Among the properties considered are: robustness; lightness; sustainability; electrical conductivity; thermal conductivity; resistance to aggressive environments; high gas barrier; isolation, absorption and fixation of CO2 or other contaminants; anti-scratch coatings; self-cleaning; self-healing; protection and safety; etc.

2D MATERIALS

Single-layer materials (with a width of a few nanometers or less) with special physical or electromagnetic characteristics compared to conventional materials. These include those developments and innovations based on materials like graphene, phosphorene and silicene, although hundreds of new two-dimensional materials have been identified that could potentially be developed.

BIOMATERIALS/MEDICAL MATERIALS

Materials with a precise structural and functional property design to interact with biological systems with a particular medical aim (biocompatibility for diagnostic or therapeutic use). This category includes new medical polymers, bioceramic materials, materials for 3D medical printing (bioprinting), multifunctional medical materials, biomaterials, biomimetics, bioresponsive materials and bioactive materials.

BIO-BASED MATERIALS

Materials with the ability to respond to external stimuli (like material stress, temperature, humidity, pH, presence of electric or magnetic fields, light or chemical compounds) and activate (through electrical stimuli) one or a series of functions. Among the functions this type of materials offer are changes in geometry, the capture/storage of energy, self-healing, electromagnetic protection, environmental purification and biodegradability. These include different types of materials like smart polymers and hybrid materials. This category excludes multifunctional biomaterials (already included in the medical materials group).

SMART AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, DEVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURES

Materials with the ability to respond to external stimuli (like material stress, temperature, humidity, pH, presence of electric or magnetic fields, light or chemical compounds) and activate (through electrical stimuli) one or a series of functions. Among the functions this type of materials offer are changes in geometry, the capture/storage of energy, self-healing, electromagnetic protection, environmental purification and biodegradability.

These include different types of materials like smart polymers and hybrid materials. This category excludes multifunctional biomaterials (already included in the medical materials group).

NANOMATERIALS

Those materials characterized by a size less than 100 nanometers in any of their external dimensions. These materials can come in different forms and thus exhibit different properties with different applications: nanoparticles, nanofibers and nanocables, nanofluids and dispersions, and nanocomposites.

NANOTECHNOLOGIES

Technologies to manipulate materials and their properties on nanoscales (i.e. on the atomic or molecular scale, less than 100 nanometers) such as the manufacturing of nanomaterials or the manufacturing of nanodevices. This group excludes nanodevices since they are already included in other categories. For example, technologies include nanocatalyst technologies, technologies for nanophotonic materials and nanosensors. Nanodevices are included in the “Life Science Technologies” category (e.g. biochips) if they are intended for organic use or in the “Nanoelectronics” category if they are intended for digital use.

HIGH-EFFICIENCY ENERGY CONVERTERS AND ACCUMULATORS

New materials for the transformation or storage of energy with high levels of efficiency. For example, the development of new materials or technologies to transform energy from solar cells, thermoelectric units, mechanical systems, other fuels or biological compounds, and even the air. With respect to energy storage, new materials are sought after to build batteries or supercapacitors with a lower weight and a greater capacity and life cycle.