Technology and market perspective for future Value Added Materials

different effects, and their potential. These
elements were analyzed and weighed.
Several of them were chosen for further
elaboration based on their relevance for
the definition of VAMs and on context of
the assignment.
The literature shows that through the
current technological development and
knowledge intensive production processes,
a range of new materials with advanced
properties are created. New materials
appear all the time in the natural course of
industrial development. Out of these a
special group is tailored to fulfil specific
functions and/or have superior structural
properties; these are the advanced materials.
Schulte described one special group of
advanced materials ‘at the nanoscale …it
seems that in terms of engineering there is
a good chance that all the good things
found close to the top (micro) and the
bottom of the scale (atom, molecule) can
be combined to produce something entirely
superior or new.’ 16
Advanced materials are described in the
literature through the following properties
and processes:
properties that are superior to those
exhibited by commodity materials,
that is, more durable and resistant
materials, such as advanced steels;
materials and systems made out of
these materials can be designed to exhibit
novel and significantly improved
physical, chemical and biological properties,
phenomena and processes;
higher energy absorption capacity;
tailored, significantly enhanced properties
and predictable performance;
new functionalities and improved
performance, with higher knowledge
content in the production process.
More specifically, we find the following
descriptions that define the new and advanced
materials, which we believe include
the VAMs.
Similarly, most advanced materials are
called a ‘new generation’ of materials 17
that display physical attributes substantially
different from the generics 18 and provide
superior performance capacities.
If we assume that VAMs are included in the
term ‘advanced materials’, it can be deduced
that VAMs share to a certain degree,
if not entirely, properties that characterize
advanced materials.
16
Schulte, J., (ed.) 2005. p. 98.
17
For example in: EU Commission 2011. Fisher, et al. 2008., Weng,
Y., et al. 2011. Pinciotta, F., 2011. Waqar A., and M. J. Jackson,.
2009.
18
In Weng, Y., et al. 2011. Krueger, A., Kelsall, R., et al. 2005.
18