Perspective Chapter: Gold Nanoparticles Market – A Global Overview and New Challenges in the Post-Pandemic Economy

Abstract

Colloidal gold (AuNP) is a molecule obtained from pure gold (Au), and has several uses in the health, industrial, and chemical sectors. There are several processes to generate it and these methods are perfected over time. However, colloidal gold manufacturers and their customers are dependent on the pure gold market, its disruptions, and fluctuations. This paper first shows that the gold market is currently unstable due to the existing pandemic and geopolitical conflicts. The main gold producers, China, Russia, and Australia, together account for more than a quarter of the world’s gold production, and only a few European countries produce gold in small quantities. Europe is therefore forced to import gold, including colloidal gold. Several innovations related to gold nanoparticles are emerging, notably in the miniaturization of industrial components or in the health sector during the pandemic. The objective of this chapter is therefore to understand the patterns into which these countries must fit to produce these particles and the economic, political, and scientific stakeholders involved in capturing these flows. Through the prism of the gold market, the electronics industry, and the health field, this chapter looks at these issues while putting into perspective the salient facts that could impact this market in the years to come.