A group of researchers in the field of technology policy-making in Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, and Fudan University, China, have recently introduced new indicators for hot research topics in the field of nanotechnology. They have cross-referenced their study with the main players in those topics by researchers, universities, research centers, and countries. 

Top 10 high emergence nanotechnology terms by time period are as follows:

Results of the study show that from 1991 to 2000, topics related to characterization methods and nanomaterials such as nanoparticles and nanowires were the most researched topics and they acquired the largest emergence score. From 1998-2007, new nanomaterials were added to the list and from 2006-2015, emerging materials such as graphene and various applications of nanomaterials were on the top of the list.

Ranking of countries according to emergent terms from 1991 to 2000 shows that the United States, Japan, China, Germany, and France are the top 5 countries both in the number of articles and in emergence score. From 1998 to 2007, China possessed the first rank with its rapid growth in the development of nanotechnology. From 2006-2015, China, the United States, South Korea, India, and Iran possessed the first to fifth rank in emergence score, respectively. The interesting point is that China, United States, Japan, Germany, and South Korea are the top 5 countries in the number of nanotechnology publications while India and Iran are in the 6th and 13th places, respectively. This shows that countries such as India and specifically Iran, have not only experienced significant growth in the number of nanotechnology articles but also their publications have played an important role in emerging nanotechnology terms.

Results of the research have been published in a paper entitled "National Nanotechnology Research Prominence" in Technology Analysis & Strategic Management in June 2018.