This research aims at understanding how business networks influence the commercialization of emerging technologies. It focuses on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of nanotechnology in the UK and aims to identify what types of networks they use for commercialization. It also examines how different types of networks can explain success or otherwise in commercialization with respect to the position of the SME in the value chain and the type of resulting innovation. Various streams of literature including debates on SMEs and innovation, open innovation, the innovation systems literature, and the industrial networks approach are used to develop a conceptual framework that guides this research. Using a case study approach, 23 Nanotech SMEs in the UK are investigated. Secondary data on firms are gathered from various sources including company websites and the FAME database. Primary data are collected through 40 semi-structured interviews with SMEs’ senior managers and key informants. Data analysis is based upon thematic analysis. The findings present a typology of networks based on a combination of network structure and actor roles, including six network types: incumbent-oriented network with reactive SME, incumbent-oriented network with proactive SME, SME-oriented network, broker-oriented networks, hybrid networks and interrupted networks. The findings indicate that a reactive approach towards networking is less conducive to commercialization, regardless of the innovation type or value chain position. SMEs can proactively create incumbent-oriented, SME-oriented or broker-oriented networks to facilitate commercialization. Incumbent-oriented networks with proactive SMEs are conducive to commercialization of both nanomaterials and nano-intermediate products and can facilitate commercialization of moderately and highly radical nanotechnology. SME-oriented networks are also conducive to commercialization of moderately and highly radical nanotechnology, but have been used for commercialization of nano-enabled products. Broker-oriented networks can facilitate commercialization of technologies or products developed in the upstream part of the value chain and are more influential in the commercialization of moderately or highly radical nanotechnology. Some Nanotech SMEs are simultaneously involved in more than one network type, i.e. have hybrid networks, pursuing multiple strategies for commercialization. All SMEs with hybrid networks have broker-oriented networks in common and in some cases the broker-oriented network has caused formation of other network types. Finally, the findings show how interrupted networks pose the biggest challenge for commercialization. The thesis contributes to the debates on SMEs and innovation and the gap on how open innovation is implemented within the context of SMEs and emerging technologies. This research also informs SME managers' strategies and choices related to participation in business networks. It provides further insights for policy makers regarding the networking behaviour of SMEs and contribution of various network actors to commercialization and in this way assists with devising policies for encouraging and facilitating collaboration for commercialization.

Gegenwärtige Bestrebungen materialwissenschaftlicher Forschung beschäftigen sich unter anderem mit der Überführung zweidimensionaler Elemente elektronischer, optischer, plasmonischer oder magnetischer Funktionalität in den dreidimensionalen (3D) Raum. Dieser Ansatz vermag mittels Krümmung und struktureller Topologie bereits vorhandene Eigenschaften abzuändern beziehungsweise neue Funktionalitäten bereitzustellen. Vor allem Vektoreigenschaften wie die Magnetisierung kondensierter Materie lassen sich aufgrund der Brechung der Inversionssymmetrie in gekrümmten Flächen stark beeinflussen. Neben der Entwicklung diverser Vorgänge zur Herstellung 3D magnetischer Gegenstände sind geeignete Untersuchungsmethoden wie beispielsweise tomografische Abbildungen der Magnetisierung von Nöten, die maßgeblich die physikalischen Eigenschaften bestimmen. Die vorliegende Dissertationsschrift befasst sich mit der Abbildung von magnetischen Domänen in 3D gekrümmten Dünnschichten beruhend auf dem Effekt des zirkularen magnetischen Röntgendichroismus (XMCD). Die in diesem Zusammenhang entwickelte magnetische Röntgentomografie (MXT) basierend auf weicher Röntgenmikroskopie stellt eine zu Elektronenholografie und Neutronentomografie komplementäre Methodik dar, welche großes Anwendungspotential in der elementspezifischen Untersuchung magnetischer gekrümmter Flächen mit örtlicher Auflösung im Nanometerbereich aufweist. Die Schwierigkeit der Interpretation von Abbildungen magnetischer Strukturen in gekrümmten Flächen rührt von der Dreidimensionalität und der Vektoreigenschaft der Magnetisierung her. Die hierzu notwendigen Kenntnisse sind anhand von zwei topologisch verschiedenen Flächen in Form hemisphärischer Kappen und hohler Zylinder erschlossen worden. Die praktische Anwendung von MXT ist abschließend anhand der Rekonstruktion magnetischer Domänen in aufgerollten Dünnschichten mit zylindrischer Form verdeutlicht. / One of the foci of modern materials sciences is set on expanding conventional two-dimensional electronic, photonic, plasmonic and magnetic devices into the third dimension. This approach provides means to modify conventional or to launch novel functionalities by tailoring curvature and three-dimensional (3D) shape. The degree of effect is particularly high for vector properties like the magnetization due to an emergent inversion symmetry breaking. Aside from capabilities to design and synthesize 3D magnetic architectures, proper characterization methods, such as magnetic tomographic imaging techniques, need to be developed to obtain a thorough understanding of the system’s response under external stimuli. The main objective of this thesis is to develop a visualization technique that provides nanometer spatial resolution to image the peculiarities of the magnetic domain patterns on extended 3D curved surfaces. The proposed and realized concept of magnetic soft X-ray tomography (MXT), based on the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) effect with soft X-ray microscopies, has the potential to become a powerful tool to investigate element specifically an entirely new class of 3D magnetic objects with virtually any shape and magnetization. Imaging curved surfaces meets the challenge of three-dimensionality and requires a profound understanding of the recorded XMCD contrast. These experiences are gained by visualizing magnetic domain patterns on two distinct 3D curved surfaces, namely magnetic cap structures and rolled-up magnetic nanomembranes with cylindrical shape. The capability of MXT is demonstrated by reconstructing the magnetic domain patterns on 3D curved surfaces resembling hollow cylindrical objects.

Gegenwärtige Bestrebungen materialwissenschaftlicher Forschung beschäftigen sich unter anderem mit der Überführung zweidimensionaler Elemente elektronischer, optischer, plasmonischer oder magnetischer Funktionalität in den dreidimensionalen (3D) Raum. Dieser Ansatz vermag mittels Krümmung und struktureller Topologie bereits vorhandene Eigenschaften abzuändern beziehungsweise neue Funktionalitäten bereitzustellen. Vor allem Vektoreigenschaften wie die Magnetisierung kondensierter Materie lassen sich aufgrund der Brechung der Inversionssymmetrie in gekrümmten Flächen stark beeinflussen. Neben der Entwicklung diverser Vorgänge zur Herstellung 3D magnetischer Gegenstände sind geeignete Untersuchungsmethoden wie beispielsweise tomografische Abbildungen der Magnetisierung von Nöten, die maßgeblich die physikalischen Eigenschaften bestimmen. Die vorliegende Dissertationsschrift befasst sich mit der Abbildung von magnetischen Domänen in 3D gekrümmten Dünnschichten beruhend auf dem Effekt des zirkularen magnetischen Röntgendichroismus (XMCD). Die in diesem Zusammenhang entwickelte magnetische Röntgentomografie (MXT) basierend auf weicher Röntgenmikroskopie stellt eine zu Elektronenholografie und Neutronentomografie komplementäre Methodik dar, welche großes Anwendungspotential in der elementspezifischen Untersuchung magnetischer gekrümmter Flächen mit örtlicher Auflösung im Nanometerbereich aufweist. Die Schwierigkeit der Interpretation von Abbildungen magnetischer Strukturen in gekrümmten Flächen rührt von der Dreidimensionalität und der Vektoreigenschaft der Magnetisierung her. Die hierzu notwendigen Kenntnisse sind anhand von zwei topologisch verschiedenen Flächen in Form hemisphärischer Kappen und hohler Zylinder erschlossen worden. Die praktische Anwendung von MXT ist abschließend anhand der Rekonstruktion magnetischer Domänen in aufgerollten Dünnschichten mit zylindrischer Form verdeutlicht. / One of the foci of modern materials sciences is set on expanding conventional two-dimensional electronic, photonic, plasmonic and magnetic devices into the third dimension. This approach provides means to modify conventional or to launch novel functionalities by tailoring curvature and three-dimensional (3D) shape. The degree of effect is particularly high for vector properties like the magnetization due to an emergent inversion symmetry breaking. Aside from capabilities to design and synthesize 3D magnetic architectures, proper characterization methods, such as magnetic tomographic imaging techniques, need to be developed to obtain a thorough understanding of the system’s response under external stimuli. The main objective of this thesis is to develop a visualization technique that provides nanometer spatial resolution to image the peculiarities of the magnetic domain patterns on extended 3D curved surfaces. The proposed and realized concept of magnetic soft X-ray tomography (MXT), based on the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) effect with soft X-ray microscopies, has the potential to become a powerful tool to investigate element specifically an entirely new class of 3D magnetic objects with virtually any shape and magnetization. Imaging curved surfaces meets the challenge of three-dimensionality and requires a profound understanding of the recorded XMCD contrast. These experiences are gained by visualizing magnetic domain patterns on two distinct 3D curved surfaces, namely magnetic cap structures and rolled-up magnetic nanomembranes with cylindrical shape. The capability of MXT is demonstrated by reconstructing the magnetic domain patterns on 3D curved surfaces resembling hollow cylindrical objects.

The American Cancer Society predicts that 1,665,540 people will be diagnosed with cancer, and 585,720 people will die from cancer in 2014. One of the most common types of cancer in the United States is skin cancer. Melanoma alone is predicted to account for 10,000 of the cancer related deaths in 2014. As a highly mobile and aggressive form of cancer, melanoma is difficult to fight once it has metastasized through the body. Early detection in such varieties of cancer is critical in improving survival rates in afflicted patients. Present methods of detection rely on visual examination of suspicious regions of tissue via various forms of biopsies. Accurate assessment of cancerous cells via this method are subjective, and often unreliable in the early stages of cancer formation when only few cancer cells are forming. With fewer cancer cells, it is less likely that a cancer cell will appear in a biopsied tissue. This leads to a lower detection rate, even when cancer is present. This lack of detection when cancer is in fact present is referred to as a false negative. False negatives can have a highly detrimental effect on treating the cancer as soon as possible. More accurate methods of detecting cancer in early stages, in a nonsubjective form would alleviate these problems. A proposed alternative to visual examination of biopsied legions is to utilize fluorescent nanocrystalline biomarker constructs to directly attach to the abnormal markers found on cancerous tissues. Quantum dots (QDs) are hydrophobic nanoscale crystals composed of semiconducting materials which fluoresce when exposed to specific wavelengths of radiation, most commonly in the form of an ultraviolet light source. The QD constructs generated were composed of cadmium-selenium (CdSe) cores encapsulated with zinc-sulfide (ZnS) shells. These QDs were then encapsulated with phospholipids in an effort to create a hydrophilic particle which could interact with polar fluids as found within the human body. The goal of this thesis is to develop a method for the solubilization, encapsulation, and initial functionalization of CdSe/ZnS QDs. The first stage of this thesis focused on the generation of CdSe/ZnS QDs and the fluorescence differences between unshelled and shelled QDs. The second stage focused on utilizing the shelled QDs to generate hydrophilic constructs by utilizing phospholipids to bind with the QDs. Analysis via spectroscopy was performed in an effort to characterize the difference in QDs both prior to and after the encapsulation process. The method generated provides insight on fluorescence trends and the encapsulation of QDs in polar substances. Future research focusing on the repeatability of the process, introducing the QD constructs to a biological material, and eventual interaction with cancer cells are the next steps in generating a new technique to target and reveal skin cancer cells in the earliest possible stages without using a biopsy.