DTIC ADA461930: Structure of the Global Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Literature

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by  Defense Technical Information Center

STRUCTURE OF THE GLOBAL NANOSCIENCE AND
NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LITERATURE

Dr. Ronald N. Kostoff
Office of Naval Research
875 N. Randolph St.
Arlington, VA 22217
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Internet: [email protected]

Mr. Ray Koytcheff
Office of Naval Research
975 N. Randolph St.
Arlington, VA 22217

Dr. Clifford GY Lau
Institute for Defense Analyses
4850 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22311

KEYWORDS

Nanoparticle; Nanotube; Nanostructure; Nanocomposite; Nanowire;
Nanocrystal; Nanofiber; Nanofibre; Nanosphere; Nanorod; Nanotechnology;
Nanocluster; Nanocapsule; Nanomaterial; Nanofabrication; Nanopore;
Nanoparticulate; Nanophase; Nanopowder; Nanolithography; Nano-Particle;
Nanodevice; Nanodot; Nanoindent; Nanolayer; Nanoscience; Nanosize;
Nanoscale; Information Technology; Text Mining; Bibliometrics; Citation
Analysis; Computational Linguistics; Document Clustering; Correlation
Map; Factor Matrix.

DISCLAIMER

(The views in this paper are solely those of the authors, and do not represent
the views of the Department of the Navy or any of its components, or the
Institute for Defense Analyses)

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Structure of the Global Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research
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ABSTRACT

Text mining was used to extract technical intelligence from the open source
global nanotechnology and nanoscience research literature. An extensive
nanotechnology/ nanoscience-focused query was applied to the Science
Citation Index/ Social Science Citation Index (SCI/ SSCI) databases. The
nanotechnology/ nanoscience research literature technical structure
(taxonomy) was obtained using computational linguistics, document
clustering, and factor analysis. The nanotechnology/ nanoscience research
literature infrastructure (prolific authors, key journals/ institutions/ countries,
most cited authors/ journals/ documents) for each of the clusters generated
by the document clustering algorithm was obtained using bibliometrics.
Another novel addition was the use of phrase auto-correlation maps to show
technical thrust areas based on phrase co-occurrence in Abstracts, and the
use of phrase-phrase cross-correlation maps to show technical thrust areas
based on phrase relations due to the sharing of common co-occurring
phrases. The use of factor matrices quantified further the strength of the
linkages among institutions and among countries, and validated the co-
publishing networks shown graphically on the maps.

The ~400 most cited nanotechnology papers since 1991 were grouped, and
their characteristics generated. Whereas the main analysis provided
technical thrusts of all nanotechnology papers retrieved, analysis of the most
cited papers allowed their unique characteristics to be displayed.

The instrumentation literature associated with nanoscience and
nanotechnology research was examined. About 65000 nanotechnology
records for 2005 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index/ Social
Science Citation Index (SCI/SSCI), and ~27000 of those were identified as
instrumentation-related. All the diverse instruments were identified, and the
relationships among the instruments, and among the instruments and the
quantities they measure, were obtained. Metrics associated with research
literatures for specific instruments/ instrument groups were generated.

The Applications literature associated with nanoscience and nanotechnology
research was examined. Through visual inspection of the Abstract phrases
of the same ~65000 downloaded 2005 records, all the diverse non-medical
Applications were identified, and the relationships among the non-medical
Applications, both direct and indirect, were obtained. Metrics associated
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with research literatures for specific Applications/ Applications groups were
generated.

For medical Applications, a fuzzy clustering algorithm was applied to the
~65000 downloaded 2005 records. A sub-network that encompassed all the
medical Applications was identified. Again, metrics associated with
research literatures for specific medical applications were generated.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction

Nanotechnology is booming! In the global fundamental nanotechnology
research literature as represented by the Science Citation Index/ Social
Science Citation Index (SCI/ SSCI (SCI, 2006)), global nanotechnology
publications grew dramatically in the last two decades.

Due to this exponential growth of the global open nanotechnology literature,
there is need for gaining an integrated quantitative perspective on the state of
this literature. In 2003-2005, a comprehensive text mining study was
performed to overview the technical structure and infrastructure of the
global nanotechnology research literature, as well as the seminal
nanotechnology literature (Kostoff et al, 2005a, 2005b, 2006a, 2006b).
Based on the wide-scale interest generated by these reports, it was decided to
update and expand the study using more recent data, a much more
comprehensive query, and more sophisticated analytical tools.

In the updated study, text mining was used to extract technical intelligence
from the open source global nanotechnology and nanoscience research
literature (SCI/SSCI databases). Identified were: (1) the
nanotechnology/nanoscience research literature infrastructure (prolific
authors, key journals/institutions/countries, most cited
authors/journals/documents); (2) the technical structure (pervasive technical
thrusts and their inter-relationships); (3) nanotechnology instruments and
their relationships; (4) potential nanotechnology applications, and (5)
potential health impacts and applications. A comprehensive literature
survey of the seminal works in nanotechnology is contained in Appendix 1.

The results of this updated text mining study are divided into four main
sections: Infrastructure; Technical Structure; Instrumentation; and
Applications. In turn, Applications are divided into non-medical and
medical. The results will be presented in the order listed above.

Infrastructure describes the performers of nanoscience/ nanotechnology
research at different levels, ranging from individual to national performers,
and it includes the archived literature as well. Technical Structure identifies
the pervasive technical thrusts (and their inter-relationships) of the
nanoscience/ nanotechnology literature. Instrumentation provides both the
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infrastructure and technical structure of the sub-set of the nanoscience/
nanotechnology literature that addresses specific instruments. Finally,
Applications provides the infrastructure and taxonomy of the sub-set of the
nanoscience/ nanotechnology literature that addresses specific non-medical
and medical applications.

ES1. INFRASTRUCTURE

ES1.1. Country Publications

• Global nanotechnology research article production has exhibited
exponential growth for more than a decade (See Figure ES1).
• The most rapid growth over that time period has come from East
Asian nations, notably China and South Korea (See Figure ES2).
• Some of this apparent rapid growth (in China for example) is partially
due to 1) a country’s researchers publishing a non-negligible fraction
of total papers in domestic low Impact Factor journals, and 2) these
journals being accessed recently by the SCI/ SSCI, rather than due to
growth based on increased sponsorship or productivity.
• China’s representation in high Impact Factor journals is small, but
increasing
• From 1998 to 2002, China’s ratio of high impact nanotechnology
papers to total nanotechnology papers doubled, placing China at parity
for this metric with the advanced nations of Japan, Italy, and Spain.
• The US remains the leader in aggregate nanotechnology research
article production
• In some selected nanotechnology sub-areas, China has achieved parity
or taken the lead (see Figure ES3 for nanocomposites example).
• South Korea started even further behind than China in both total
nanotechnology publications and highly cited papers, but they have
advanced rapidly to become second-tier contenders in total and highly
cited papers.
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FIGURE ES1 – SCI/ SSCI ARTICLES VS TIME
TOTAL RECORDS RETRIEVED
SCI ARTICLES VS TIME
70000
H
T
WI 60000
S
E 50000
LS
CT
TIAC 40000
R
R
A
F ST 30000
OB
R A 20000
E
B
M 10000
U
N
0
1-91950 1-91905 20-050 20005
YEAR

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FIGURE ES2 – COUNTRY COMPARISON TIME TREND
(number of articles vs. time)
16000
14000 USA
12000 Japan
10000 Germany
8000 France
6000 England
4000 PR China
2000 South Korea
0
1991 1998 2005

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FIGURE ES3 – # PAPERS CONTAINING “NANOCOMPOSITE*”
45.0%
"
*
E
T 40.0%
SI
O
s
Pe 35.0%
Mri
Ont
Cu
Oo 30.0%
NC
Ag
Nn 25.0% CHINA
g "adi USA
ne JAPAN
ntainid in L 20.0% SOUTH KOREA
oe 15.0%
Ch
s
ers ubli 10.0%
pP
a
P
f 5.0%
o
%
0.0%
1991 1994 1998 2002 2005
Time

ES1.2. Country Citations

• There is a clear distinction between the publication practices of the
three most prolific Western nations and the three most prolific East
Asian nations. The Western nations publish in journals with almost
twice the weighted average Impact Factors of the East Asian nations.
Much of the difference stems from the East Asian nations publishing a
non-negligible amount in domestic low Impact Factor journals, while
the Western nations publish in higher Impact Factor international
journals.
• Two countries that lead in production of the most cited
nanotechnology papers are the US (126) and Germany (31). The US
and Germany account for forty percent of the most cited
nanotechnology papers
• The high paper volume production East Asian countries of China and
South Korea account for two percent of the most cited
nanotechnology papers.
• Despite the increased paper productivity from East Asian countries,
the US continues to generate the most cited nanotechnology papers.

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ES1.3. Institution and Journal Citations

• Of the thirty institutions publishing the most nanotechnology papers,
four are from the US, whereas of the twenty-five institutions
producing the most cited nanotechnology papers, twenty-one are in
the US.
• The top-tier institutions producing cited papers are Harvard University
(27), University of California Berkeley (23), Rice University (17),
University of California Santa Barbara (16).
• The two journals that overwhelmingly contain the most cited
nanotechnology papers since 1991 are Science (56) and Nature (37).

ES1.4. Country Collaborations

• The dominant country co-publishing network is a complex web of
mainly European nations roughly following geographic lines: Nordic,
Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and a Western Europe/ Latin
American group of Romance language nations. There is also a UK
component country network, but it is not linked to the interconnected
continental members of the European Union (See Figure ES4).
• Correlation of countries by common thematic interest shows two
major poles: US and China. The US pole is strongly connected
thematically to a densely connected network of English-speaking
North American representatives, Western/ Central European nations,
and most of the East Asian allies. China is relatively isolated except
for India, and the Eastern European and Latin American
representatives are outside the main network as well.

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