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Dynamic evolution of collaborative networks: evidence from nano-energy research in China

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Abstract

In organizations, knowledge creation activities are embedded in collaborative networks and are influenced by their partners. Therefore, we examine how entire networks change over time in this study, as well as the reasoning behind the structures of ego networks based on unique scientific research discoveries published in the emerging cross-disciplinary field of nano-energy. These data were extracted from Science Citation Index Expanded. Specifically, we mainly focus on two dimensions of ego network changes: network growth and diversity. Results demonstrate the recent remarkable growth of inter-organizational collaborative networks in the nano-energy field and empirically prove that the subsequent growth and diversity of ego networks are caused by three coexisting driving forces (collaborative capacity, network status position and cohesion) that act collectively. Our study is conducted at the organizational level because we investigate the universities, research institutes and firms that participate in nano-energy scientific research and the collaborative networks formed through co-authorships among these institutions in knowledge creation processes. Moreover, our study has significant implications for the scientific research conducted by organizations in developing countries and emerging fields.

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Notes

  1. The 5-year moving window has also been implemented in our study process, but it did not affect the empirical results significantly.

  2. Although many universities, research institutes, and other types of organizations conduct nano-energy scientific research in China, our empirical test considered only organizations performing stable or long-term scientific research in the nano-energy field because of the repeated entries of new organizations and the exits of existing organizations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People’s Republic of China

    Na Liu & Jiancheng Guan

  2. School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of China

    Jiancheng Guan

Authors
  1. Na Liu
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Correspondence to Jiancheng Guan.

Appendix: Definition of search queries for nano-energy articles in the SCI-E database

Appendix: Definition of search queries for nano-energy articles in the SCI-E database

Searching terms

Nanotechnology

 #1

TS = (nano*)

 #2

TS = ((“quantum dot*” OR “quantum well*” OR “quantum wire*”) NOT nano*)

 #3

TS = (((“self assembl*” OR “self organiz*” OR “directed assembl*”) AND MolEnv-I) NOT nano*)

 #4

TS = ((“molecul* motor*” OR “molecul* ruler*” OR “molecul* wir*” OR “molecul* devic*” OR “molecular engineering” OR “molecular electronic*” OR “single molecul*” OR fullerene* OR buckyball OR buckminsterfullerene OR C60 OR “C-60” OR methanofullerene OR metallofullerene OR SWCNT OR MWCNT OR “coulomb blockad*” OR bionano* OR “Langmuir-Blodgett” OR Coulombstaircase* OR “PDMS stamp*” OR graphene OR “dye-sensitized solar cell” OR DSSC OR ferrofluid* OR “core-shell”) NOT nano*)

 #5

TS = ((((TEM or STM or EDX or AFM or HRTEM or SEM or EELS or SERS or MFM) OR “atom* force microscop*” OR “tunnel* microscop*” OR “scanning probe microscop*” OR “transmission electron microscop*” OR “scanning electron microscop*” OR “energy dispersive X-ray” OR “xray photoelectron*” OR “x-ray photoelectron” OR “electron energy loss spectroscop*” OR “enhanced raman-scattering” OR “surface enhanced raman scattering” OR “single molecule microscopy” OR “focused ion beam” OR “ellipsometry” OR “magnetic force microscopy”) AND MolEnv-R) NOT nano*)

 #6

TS = (((NEMS OR Quasicrystal* OR “quasi-crystal*” OR “quantum size effect” OR “quantum device”) AND MoleEnv-I) NOT nano*)

 #7

TS = (((biosensor* OR NEMS OR (“sol gel*” OR solgel*) OR dendrimer* OR CNT OR “soft lithograph*” OR “electron beam lithography” OR “e-beam lithography” OR “molecular simul*” OR “molecular machin*” OR “molecular imprinting” OR “quantum effect*” OR “surface energy” OR “molecular sieve*” OR “mesoporous material*” OR “mesoporous silica” OR “porous silicon” OR “zeta potential” OR “epitax*”) AND MolEnv-R) NOT nano*)

 #8

SO = (Fullerene* OR IEEE Transactions on Nano* OR Journal of Nano* OR Nano* OR Materials Science Engineering C* OR ACS Nano OR Current Nanoscience OR Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures OR IEE Proceedings Nanobiotechnology OR IET Nanobiotechnology OR International Journal of Nanomedicine OR International Journal of Nanotechnology OR Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology OR Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience OR Journal of Experimental Nanoscience OR Nature Nanotechnology OR Photonics and Nanostructures* OR Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Nano*) NOT TS = (nano*)

 #9

TS = (plankton* OR n*plankton OR m*plankton OR b*plankton OR p*plankton OR z*plankton OR nanoflagel* OR nanoalga* OR nanoprotist* OR nanofauna* OR nano*aryote* OR nanoheterotroph* OR nanophtalm* OR nanomeli* OR nanophyto* OR nanobacteri* OR *270 organism names beginning with nano* OR nano2 OR nano3 OR nanos OR nanog OR nanor OR nanoa OR nano- OR nanog- OR nanoa- OR nanor- OR nanosatellite* OR 270 organism names beginning with nano*)

 #10

TS = (nanometer* OR nano-metre OR nano-meter OR nano-metre OR nanosecond* OR nano-second OR nanomolar* OR nano-molar OR nanomole(s) OR nanogram* OR nano-gram OR nanoliter* OR nanolitre* OR nano-liter OR nano-litre*)

Total Nanotechnology = ((#1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6 OR #7 OR #8) NOT #9 NOT (#10 NOT (#1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6 OR #7 OR #8)))

Energy

 #1

TS = (energ* SAME (“energy sector” OR “power source*” OR renewable* OR “power supply” OR “energy convers*” OR “energy storag*” OR sustainab* OR use* OR “distribution loss*” OR harvest* OR “wind energy” OR eolic OR tidal OR biomas* OR geotherm* OR hydroelectric* OR (wave SAME (ocean OR sea)) OR fos$il OR oil OR “natural gas” OR coal OR “nuclear energy” OR fuel OR tide OR petroleum OR heat$storag* OR thermal$insulator OR batter* OR super$capacitor* OR capacitor* OR flywheel* OR photovoltaic* OR “solar cell*” OR power*station OR carge$carrier OR “fuel cell*” OR electro$catalys* OR photoelectrochem* OR thermo$electric* OR turbin* OR transducer* OR “water photoelectrolys*” OR power$generat* OR biofuel* OR biodiesel* OR water$oxidation OR “combustion engine” OR “thermal rectifier” OR “hydrogen* production”))

 #2

TS = (photosynthesis OR obesity OR diet* OR food OR cellular OR glucose OR DNA OR astrophys* OR astronom* OR chlorop* OR phyto*) OR SO = (astrophys* OR astronom* OR biolog* OR nutriti* OR botanic* OR American Journal of Clinical Nutrition OR Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society OR Biotechnology and Bioengineering OR Annual Review of Nutrition OR Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics)

Total Energy = #1 NOT #2

Total Nano-energy = Total Nanotechnology AND Total Energy

  1. Searching terms for nanotechnology came from Arora et al. (2013). Given spatial limitations, the details of “MolEnv-I”, “MolEnv-R” and “270 organism names beginning with nano*” were not listed in this table, but they all can be found in Arora et al. (2013); and searching terms for energy mainly came from Menéndez-Manjón et al. (2011). We supplemented some energy searching words coming from Connelly and Sekhar (2012), Lee et al. (2012) and Lee and Lee (2013)

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Liu, N., Guan, J. Dynamic evolution of collaborative networks: evidence from nano-energy research in China. Scientometrics 102, 1895–1919 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-014-1508-z

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