Challenges and approaches towards specifying nanomaterials

Establishing science-based and widely accepted standards has been recognized by ISO member countries to be of vital importance for the safe and responsible development of nanotechnologies to realize its huge potential for societal benefits. ISO/TC 229 was formed in 2005 as a horizontal committee with the subject matter covering a wide range of disciplines with the common feature of nanotechnology. Among its working groups (WGs), WG4 leads the task of specifying relevant compositions, properties and characteristics of manufactured nanomaterials, to facilitate the communication between buyers and sellers. In this talk we present the background and strategy of WG4, with overview of various opinions when reaching these agreements, and summarize current activities and future trends for this working area.