The business of nanotechnology – or extremely small things – is as complex and widespread as its constituents are small. Used in virtually every industry, nanotechnology enables the manipulation of materials at the level of the individual atom and is responsible for products being lighter, faster and more efficient. Microchips in computers are one example, biological analysis another, and even the better bounce in tennis balls is thanks to nanotechnology.
The industry comprises a vast range of different players, including scientists, regulators, manufacturers and much more, so having a widely understood, international vocabulary is essential.
ISO’s comprehensive 13-part series of International Standards for nanotechnology is a globally used tool that offers exactly that, and it has recently had some revisions and updates.
This includes technical specification ISO/TS 80004-3, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 3: Carbon nano-objects, which defines important terms and concepts for carbon nano-objects in a precise and consistent manner. It does so in a way that clarifies their interrelationship as well as their relationship to existing terms previously used for conventional carbon materials.
Others recently updated are ISO/TS 80004-6, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 6: Nano-object characterization, and ISO/TS 80004-8, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 8: Nanomanufacturing processes. Work is also underway to develop a standard that will consolidate some of the most fundamental terminology in the series.
Other standards in the current series include:
ISO/TS 80004-1, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 1: Core terms
ISO/TS 80004-2, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 2: Nano-objects
ISO/TS 80004-4, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 4: Nanostructured materials
ISO/TS 80004-5, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 5: Nano/bio interface
ISO/TS 80004-7, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 7: Diagnostics and therapeutics for healthcare
ISO/TS 80004-9, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 9: Nano-enabled electrotechnical products and systems
ISO/TS 80004-11, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 11: Nanolayer, nanocoating, nanofilm, and related terms
ISO/TS 80004-12, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 12: Quantum phenomena in nanotechnology
ISO/TS 80004-13, Nanotechnologies – Vocabulary – Part 13: Graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials
The ISO/TS 80004 series was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 229, Nanotechnologies, whose secretariat is held by BSI, ISO’s member for the UK, in cooperation with ISO’s partner organization, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Read the original article on International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
