ANÁLISE DO POTENCIAL MERCADOLÓGICO DE NANOPARTÍCULAS DE PRATA DE ORIGEM BIOLÓGICA POR MAPEAMENTO DE TECNOLOGIAS E PRODUTOS EM DOCUMENTOS DE PATENTES

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used in wide range of industrial sectors, which is dependent on their characteristics such as shape, size, dispersion and residues synthesis. The aim of this study was to map the main sectors and technologies (since 2008) that use AgNPs in Brazil and in the world, and evaluate the potential market of biological AgNPs. It was found that patent applications filed in Brazil and in the world are increasing, even though the number of applications is low in Brazil. Among the national applications the classification with greater relevance is A61, corresponding to the area of hygiene and health. The market reasearch showed that in chemical synthesis of AgNPs, the absence of residues can endear the product significantly and biological synthesis appears to be a promising economical and eco-friendly alternative. We conclude that there is a great potential in the market for the biologically synthetized AgNPs.