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Barriers to the industrial application of nanotechnologies at the firm level

Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This paper examines the adoption and acceptance of nanotechnologies and advanced materials(NaAM) by firms in Old Industrial Regions (OIR). Building on the Technology–Organization–Environment framework and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study conceptualizes howtechnological, organizational, and environmental contexts shape firm-level and individual-leveladoption decisions. NaAM offer measurable benefits in durability, energy efficiency, and regulatorycompliance, yet their diffusion in OIRs is constrained by legacy infrastructures, path dependence,lock-in effects, and limited absorptive capacity. Complexity and maturity, expressed throughTechnology Readiness Levels and Manufacturing Readiness Levels together with Environment,Health, and Safety requirements, slow down early adoption and increase reputational andregulatory uncertainty. Organizational conditions, including resources, management support,absorptive capacity, and innovation champions, are pivotal for translating pilot projects into serialproduction. At the individual level, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioralintention determine the actual use of NaAM solutions, mediated by social influence and facilitatingconditions. By integrating these perspectives, the paper provides a theoretical basis for thequalitative studies of NaAM adoption in old industrial regions, underscoring that effective adoptionrequires alignment of technological, organizational, and environmental enablers with individualperceptions, supported by open innovation, clear intellectual property regimes, and robustregional innovation systems This version of the paper has been submitted for peer review to the NANOCON 2025 conference.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17175863
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7082638112
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