The diffusion of nanotechnology knowledge in Turkey

Abstract

This paper assesses the diffusion of nanoscience and nanotechnology in Turkey in the last decade using bibliometric and Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques. We extracted a total of 10,062 articles and reviews from Web of Science (WoS) authored by the Turkish scientists between 2000 and 2011. We divided the data set into two 6-year periods (2000-2005 and 2006-2011). Almost three quarters (7,398) of all papers were published between 2006 and 2011. For each period, we compared the number of nanotechnology papers, the universities' output along with their levels of collaboration with one another, the diffusion and adoption of nanotechnology, the most prolific authors and the nanotechnology research topics studied most often by the Turkish researchers. We found that nanotechnology research and development (R&D) in Turkey is on the rise and its diffusion and adoption has increased tremendously in the second period. This is due primarily to the fact that the government identified nanotechnology as a strategic field a decade ago and decided to provide constant support for nanotechnology R&D. Overlay maps showed that nanotechnology R&D in Turkey concentrated primarily in Materials Sciences, followed by Chemistry, Physics, Clinical Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.