I’ve long been intrigued by some of the nanotechnology indices, such as the C60 Market Monitor. What are they monitoring, how do you adjust the index to take account of the varying contribution of nanotechnology to a company like IBM? How do you decode the interdependent webs of companies that characterise some of the Japanese trading houses?
Even odder are statements like “We are beginning to see the cost to develop Nano-based molecules drop from $100,000 a year ago to about $65,000 today.” Nano based molecules indeed. Are these dendrimers, some flavour of nanotube, buckyballs? Is the price per gram, per pound, per kilo? Is it the thousands of tons of nanoparticles produced Merck or Cabots aerogels?
No wonder the writer is anonymous!