The term nanotechnology was first used by Professor Norio Taniguchi of Tokyo University of Science at a meeting of the Japan Society for Precision Engineering in 1974. Currently, Japan is a key player in the global nanotechnology scene and hosts one of the largest international nanotechnology exhibitions and conferences in Tokyo every year. Czech nanotechnologists regularly participate in it.

42 thousand visitors in 3 days

Japan invests more than $1 billion annually in research and development and has an extensive network of innovation centers, and expects the value of the nanotechnology market to reach more than $310 billion by 2030. 23rd International Nanotechnology Exhibition and Conference nano tech 2024 took place this year from January 31 to February 2 at Tokyo Big Sightthe largest international exhibition center in Japan. After the covid break, nano tech has returned to its original visitor strength. During the 3 days, 42,034 visitors visited the event. On this prestigious platform, which attracts companies and research laboratories from all over the world, Czech nanotechnology was presented by the Czech Nanotechnology Industries Association together with companies NanoTrade and nanoSPACE Technology at the stand of the agency EU-Japan Centre. "We decided again to present the Czech Republic at the stand of the EU-Japan Center agency after a very good experience last year, and the organization was once again excellent and very professional. The team leader of the Japanese office, Fabrizio Mura, promised us additional help beyond the exhibition in finding business contacts in Japan. He was also very interested in the information about one of the hot innovations of Czech nanotechnologists, the 3D nanoprinter, which was presented to the public for the first time at the end of last year".

We show how Czech nanotechnologies contribute to global progress

The main official theme of the nano tech 2024 exhibition was the commercialization of new nanotechnology materials in the sense of shaping the future of business. The Czech Republic is among the pioneers in this area. At the beginning of the 21st century, I was one of the first countries where nanotechnology got out of laboratories and into products for everyday use. "Our exhibited nanosilver functional clothing products and SKI365 year-round skiing technology, as examples of applied nanotechnological hits, aroused high interest", says Ladislav Torčík from the NanoTrade company, adding "The visitors were mainly B2B entities. We took home a large number of contacts that we will follow up on. It turns out that our regular products, staples and bestsellers are also interesting in Japan. Also, that our 20 years of experience are a valuable source of references and well-deserved pride for a job well done." 

The Japanese and the nanofiber

The Japanese know the Czech nanofiber. Elmarco, the manufacturer of the Nanospider machine from Liberec, already has several installations in Japan. At this year's nano tech, however, we presented a technological innovation, the so-called hybrid spinning. "Using our new technology, we can produce, for example, two-layer nanofibrous membranes from two different polymers, and this can be used, for example, in cosmetics, where each of the layers has a different function. In Japan, this time there was interest not only in our nanomembranes, but also in the technology itself, which they would like to test and compare with what they already know", says Jan Buk from nanoSPACE Technology.

Cars made of wood

Cars made of wood, or rather of nanocellulose, were one of the most attractive exhibits of the exhibition. Nanocellulose is stronger than steel and is an organic material. It can be made from any cellulosic material including rice husks, but wood pulp is commonly used. Nanocellulose is not new this year, but this time it became one of the dominant nanomaterials for the first time. One stand even displayed musical instruments made of nanocellulose. It is probably related to the fact that even in Japan, sustainability is becoming a major topic.