Patent citation analysis in a novel field of technology: An exploration of nano-science and nano-technology

This paper explores the interrelationships between science and technology in the emerging area of nano-science and technology. We track patent citation relations at the sectoraldisciplinary, the organizational, and the combined industrial/organizational levels. Then we investigate the geographic location and organizational affiliation of inventor/authors. Our main finding is that there are only a small number of citations connecting nano-patents with nanoscience papers, while nano-science and technology appear to be relatively well connected in comparison with other fields. Further explorations suggest that nano-science and technology are still mostly separated spheres, even though there are overlaps, as an analysis of title words shows. Another observation is that university-assigned patents seem to cite papers more frequently than other patents.