Monday, October 3, 2016

Graphene and 2D Materials Technologies, Production & End-User Markets


Two-dimensional(2D) materials are currently one of the most active areas of nano-materials research, and offer a huge opportunity for both fundamental studies and practical applications, including superfast, low-power, flexible and wearable electronics, sensors, photonics and electrochemical energy storage devices that will have an immense impact on our society.


Graphene is a ground-breaking two-dimensional (2D) material that possesses extraordinary electrical and mechanical properties that promise a new generation of innovative devices. New methods of scalable synthesis of high-quality graphene, clean delamination transfer and device integration have resulted in the commercialization of state-of-the-art electronics such as graphene touchscreens in smartphones and flexible RF devices on plastics.


Beyond graphene, emerging elementary 2D materials such as phosphorene and silicene will potentially allow for flexible electronics and field-effect transistors that exhibit ambipolar transport behaviour with either a direct band-gap or greater gate modulation.


Graphene exhibits a unique combination of mechanical, thermal, electronic and optical properties that provide opportunities for new innovation in flexible displays, transistors, photosensors, RFID tags, solar cells, secondary batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, conductive inks, EMI shielding heat insulation, anti-oxidation, LEDs across multiple industries including consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, medicine, energy, 3D printing, polymer composites, wireless technology, filtration and coatings.


Graphene possesses (theoretically) record high electrical and thermal conductivity, transparency at all wavelengths, flexibility and outstanding mechanical strength. The global market for graphene continues to grow with weekly technology and production breakthroughs, new public and private investments and public listings of graphene producers. There are now over 150 companies either producing graphene or developing applications, with as many multi-nationals conducting R&D on these materials.


Relatively few graphene products have reached the market as yet, and until recently those that have mainly incorporate graphene additives to enhance toughness and flexibility. Products include smartphone touchscreens (Wuxi), tennis rackets (Head), bicycle rims (Vittoria), flexible battery straps and printed RFID antennas (Vorbeck), paint (Graphenstone), cycle helmets (Catlike), thermometers (Linktop Technology) and oil-drilling muds (Graphene Nanochem).


However, a number of energy related products have hit the market in 2015, including Zap&Go, a graphene supercapacitor that can help extend the battery life of smartphones, produced by Zapgocharger. Skeleton Technologies has also launched a graphene-enhanced supercapacitor with a capacitance of 4500 farads.


Graphene Lighting PLC has announced that a graphene light bulb with lower energy emissions, longer lifetime and lower manufacturing cost will be launched in 2015. In March, Graphene 3D Labs, Inc. announced the commercial availability of 3D graphene filaments for 3D printing applications. Sher-Wood Hockey has announced they are bringing a graphene-enhanced carbon fibre Rekker EK60 hocky stick to market. UK company Xefro has created a graphene-based heating system that can reduce energy costs up to 70 per cent. The product, gRAD, uses graphene as a heating element. Graphene Nanochem recently won a $28 million order from an oil company for its PlatDrill Series drilling fluid.


There is likely to be significant short-term opportunities in applications such conductive formulations and inks for printable electronics, coatings and electronic textiles; anti-corrosion coatings; current collector and separator coatings; thermal management; Li-ion batteries; Li-S batteries; supercapacitors (mainly for mobile electronics applications); EMI shielding materials and in anti-static and mechanical reinforced composites and barrier films. In most of these applications scale-up is relatively straightforward and performance benefits have been clearly demonstrated.


Medium-term growth will be witnessed in sensors and desalination membranes. Longer-term bets are in organic electronics applications (OLED, displays and solar PV), semiconductors and biomedicine. For graphene to meets its outstanding potential a number of significant challenges most be overcome. Low cost production processes must be developed and these production processes must be both scalable and suitable for integration into existing manufacturing processes and regulations. The challenges of consistently integrating graphene into products, either as graphene compounds or graphene components must also be met. Graphene also faces competition from incumbent materials such as carbon black, graphite and activated carbon that are relatively cheaper at present and already large-volume commodities.


Graphene and 2D Materials Market Opportunities Report


Graphene and 2D Materials Technologies, Production, End-User MarketsDetails of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View Report Contents:The Global Market for Graphene and 2-D Materials: Technologies, Production, End User Markets and Opportunities Analysis, 2015-2025“.


WHAT DOES THE REPORT INCLUDE?


  • Comprehensive quantitative data and forecasts for the global graphene market to 2025.

  • Qualitative insight and perspective on the current market and future trends in end user markets based on interviews with key executives.

  • End user market analysis and technology timelines.

  • Financial estimates for the markets graphene will impact.

  • Patent analysis.

  • Competitive analysis of carbon nanotubes versus graphene.

  • Comparative analysis of graphene and other 2D Materials.

  • Tables and figures illustrating graphene market size

  • Full company profiles of graphene producers and application developers including technology descriptions and end user markets targeted

  • Profiles of prominent research centres

  • Industry activity and breakthroughs by market 2013-2016.



Graphene and 2D Materials Technologies, Production & End-User Markets

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