Profiling research patterns for a New and Emerging Science and Technology: Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

This paper explores a framework to profile research patterns for new and emerging science and technology (NES&T), and applies it to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), a promising NES&T. Such work is done via ¿tech mining¿ to capture key technological attributes, leading actors, and networks. The result shows that DSSC research is an interdisciplinary field, with increasing cooperation among different levels. Japan is notable not only in the number of papers but also for considerable involvement of the corporate sector in research. In contrast, China, as the second country in quantity, shows an obvious imbalance with few industrially associated authors, limited international cooperation, and low citations. Research profiling, as illustrated here, can inform technology strategies, and science and technology policies.