在很长一段时间内，美国一直在与前苏联争夺着外层空间的霸主地位。今天，美国再次卷入了一场别开生面“战役”：国际新兴纳米技术领域主导地位的较量，即在原子尺度上研究物质，进而研发新型材料。参加两周后即将开幕的2010中国(上海)国际纳米展览会的代表将更为清楚地认识到，中国将紧紧跟随美国的脚步，并最终成为纳米技术领域的领跑者。

中国可以赶超美国并最终超越其他所有竞赛者并非天方夜谭：中国在纳米技术领域的投入在过去十年中每年以20%的速度增长。现在，中国在纳米技术领域的文章数量比任何其他国家都要多，而且近年来，中国在这一领域获得的专利许可数量已经超过了美国。美国在纳米技术领域的投入每年以18%的速度增长，照此看来，尽管美国在投入方面依旧会处于领先地位(2008年的研发投入是57亿美元)，但是其他竞赛者，特别是中国，正在高速追赶。也正是由于这个原因，在总统科技顾问委员会给美国总统奥巴马的一份报告中指出，美国应加大对纳米技术领域的投资。

纳米技术具有广泛的应用，包括医学、军事、环境整治、工程以及生活消费品生产等等领域，据测截至2012年产业效益可以达到2万亿。这也是为什么各国在这个领域内投入如此之高，而且在竞争中如此激烈角逐的原因，每个国家都力争在这场战役中脱颖而出。

中国已经在纳米技术领域取得了一些成绩，例如“纳米扬声器”，去年卫报报道的一个只有一毫米厚的音频系统。然而对于中国制造的纳米产品的质量问题，业内专家还是存在一定的质疑。英国纳米技术协会的Mark Morrison博士指出，“来自中国科研机构的同行评审学术论文的引用次数要远远少于来自美国、日本的欧盟国家的”。他还指出了这一行业中健康、安全以及生产标准的重要性：“我们(英国)恪守标准，也许这看起来很枯燥，但是它对于纳米技术的发展以及环境、健康和安全方面的研究是至关重要的。”

不可否认的是，适当的安全标准和质量控制措施对于产品安全投放到市场是至关重要的。去年八月在中国某家纳米技术生产工厂里两位年轻女性的死亡以及五例致病案例为行业安全生产规范敲响了警钟。尽管没有确凿的证据表明死者的死因是其所接触的纳米颗粒所致，但是据调查工厂内并没有执行可以预防潜在伤害的标准生产安全规范。

在纳米技术领域以外，类似的案例如婴儿奶粉中添加三聚氰胺等事件的出现，也会加剧人们对中国纳米产品质量的怀疑。如果中国政府能够和国内的纳米科学家、科学工作者以及企业家一道，像发达国家一样切实落实并加强行业标准和规范，中国在纳米技术领域的投入将有可能得到更为丰厚的回馈。仅仅赢得竞争是不够的，关键是要摘掉不合格的帽子。

原文：

China poised to take the lead in nanotechnology

For many years the US was involved in a space race with the Soviet Union, a competition to see who could be the first to explore the outer reaches of space. Now, the US is embroiled in a different kind of battle: the race to dominate the emerging international industry surrounding nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter on an atomic scale to develop new materials. As will become clear to delegates at the Nanotech China meeting in Shanghai in just two weeks, China has positioned itself hot on the heels of the US and is poised to take the lead in the race for domination of the industry.

China’s ability to catch up with the US and pass all other participants in the race should not come as a surprise: it’s investment in nanotech has increased by 20% every year for the past decade. As a result, China now produces more papers on nanotech than any other country, and it has surpassed the US in recent years in the number of nanotech patents granted. At the same time, investment in nanotech in the US grew at a rate of 18% per year, with the result that, although the US still leads the way in terms of investment (with Research and Development investments of $5.7 billion in 2008), the rest of the world, and especially China, is rapidly catching up. This is the basis of a report to President Obama from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology calling for increased investment in the sector.

Nanotechnology, which has very broad applications including uses in medicine, the military, environmental management, engineering and the manufacture of consumer goods, is predicted to represent a two-trillion-dollar industry by 2012. This explains the high levels of investment in this sector and why countries are jostling for the lead in the race, as each of them strives for an edge in global competitiveness.

China has already had some success in the area of nanotech; for example, the “nano-speaker”, a one-millimetre-thick audio speaker reported in the Guardian last year. However, this success is not without controversy, and there have been some questions from industry experts regarding the quality of nanotech products coming out of China. Dr Mark Morrison of the Institute of Nanotechnology in Scotland has made the point that “Peer-reviewed scientific papers from Chinese institutes are cited far less than those from US, Japan and EU”. He also pointed to the importance of health and safety as well as manufacturing standards for the industry: “We [the UK] are strong in standards, which may seem boring, but is critical to the development of nanotechnology and environment, health and safety research.”

It is undeniable that appropriate safety regulations and quality control procedures will be critical for products to reach the market. The deaths of two young women and illnesses of five others in August last year, while working in a Chinese nanotech manufacturing facility, strengthen the need for caution and tight regulations in the industry. However, the cause of death has not been definitively attributed to the nanoparticles the women were exposed to, and standard manufacturing safety practices that could have prevented any harm were not being observed in the factory.

Stories such as this and other, non-nanotech-related scandals like the melamine in baby milk incident will serve to foster scepticism and questions regarding nanotechnology products emerging from China. If the Chinese government, working together with Chinese nanotechnologists, scientists and business leaders, could implement and enforce standards and regulations similar to those established elsewhere in the developed world, its investment in the sector will be far more likely to bear fruit in the future. It is not enough just to win the race; one must also avoid disqualification.

 Thin-film nano speaker over the screen of an IPod: