The following is a sponsored post by IDTechEx
The graphene industry must transition from research to commercial sales if it is avoid falling into the valley of despair. The Graphene & 2D Materials Event in Berlin is designed to accelerate this transition. This is the event where companies unveil their latest technologies, launch their products, and where suppliers and end users from a variety of sectors directly connect.
Commercial applications restore faith:
The industry will risk temporarily losing its confidence if high-volume applications are not developed soon. This is why we feel that the entire industry will welcome any notable success from any rival supplier as it would the commercial viability of graphene and restore faith in the material.
To this end we have invited Vittoria, National Graphene Institute, the Sixth Element and GDF Suez. Vittoria will showcases its latest commercial success in using graphene to enhance bicycle tires; the Sixth Element will share its view on the commercial progress in China and will also showcase its success in using graphene as an anti-corrosion coating; the National Graphene Institute will share its experience in developing prototypes with numerous end users, and GDF Suez will give us the end user view on the need for graphene in the energy industry.
Graphene energy storage
IDTechEx Research expects the energy storage to control nearly 40% of the graphene market, generating more than $75m at the material level in 2026. Energy storage is becoming a focal point of convergence in the industry and many have launched products in the past year. We understand that nearly all major battery manufacturers are evaluating graphene-enabled dispersions.
This address this issue, we have invited Skeleton Technologies and Thales to discuss their graphene supercapacitors; AzTrong Inc to showcase its latest progress with graphene batteries; and Grafentek to highlight its work on using graphene to extend the cycle life of silicon anode batteries. Note that this track is highly synergetic with our electric vehicles conference too.
The dispersion challenge
IDTechEx finds that the composite sector will become the second largest market for graphene and will represent nearly 30% of the market from 2020 onwards. Dispersion however has been a critical challenge delaying the commercialization of nanomaterials in general and graphene is no exemption. This is why dispersion methods are considered critical enabling technologies.
At the event, we have invited Haydale to discuss its functionalisation technology which can help dispersion process. They are finding success in the CNT world and there is good reason to believe that the success will be replicated in the graphene industry too.
Graphene inks and functional coatings
IDTechEx Research expects conductive inks and functional coatings will represent >20% of the graphene market in 2020. This is a near-term opportunity that will reach commercialization before other sectors. It has become a prime target areas as all suppliers are seeking low-hanging fruit options.
At the Graphene & 2D Materials event you will hear from GNext, Perpetuus Carbon Technologies, and the Sixth Element on their commercial progress with graphene inks and coatings. In fact, we expect the most innovative players from the entire conductive inks and paste market (metallic inks too) to speak and exhibit at this event in Berlin.
Standards
The absence of standards has been a contentious issue in the industry. Many end users have complained that suppliers are selling thin graphite or other forms of carbon as graphene to capitalize on the hype. Graphene suppliers also seek to gain an advantage by suggestion that only their material should count as true graphene thus hoping to shut out competitors. This debate has often promoted calls for more transparency and standards in the industry. This is why we have invited the Graphene Council to discuss the latest industry progress on formulating standards.
Novel graphene production methods
Graphene is under a near-permanent cost pressure. This is built into its substitution go-to-market strategy and will not change until the so-called ‘killer application’ is found. Graphene needs to match other forms of carbon such as advanced black carbon or even carbon nanotubes.
Graphene is also not a single material but is a class of materials. Like all carbonous materials, it comes in many shapes and forms. There will be no single wining morphology. Instead, variety morphologies will co-exist to cater to different applications.
These two observations justify the trend towards developing novel production methods. These methods seek to provide a lower production cost but also different graphene types, or at least a higher degree of control over the morphology of graphene.
This is why we have invited Thomas Swan, Cambridge Nanosystems and University of Dresden to discuss their approach to making graphene.
Sensors
Using graphene and other 2D materials as a platform for sensing is becoming popular. This makes sense because graphene has tremendous surface area available for sensing. This is why we have invited two universities to showcase their progress on graphene sensors. Swansea University will discuss lab-on-chip graphene sensors for point-of-care diagnostics whilst City University will discuss printed graphene sensors.
About IDTechEx Show! 27 & 28 April 2016, Berlin, Germany.
Hosted by global emerging technology research and technology scouting firm IDTechEx, the IDTechEx Show! is a unique event that brings together multiple inter-related emerging technologies in one place, with eight parallel conference tracks on the topics of printed and flexible electronics; wearable technology; 3D printing; sensors; graphene; Internet of Things; energy harvesting and storage; and electric vehicles. The conference events also include optional masterclasses and tours to select organisations in Berlin on 26 & 29th April. For more information, visit www.IDTechEx.com/Europe.
About IDTechEx
Established in 1999, IDTechEx provides independent market research, business intelligence and events on emerging technology to clients in more than 80 countries. IDTechEx is headquartered in Cambridge UK, with bases in Boston, Massachusetts (USA), San Jose, California (USA), Berlin, Germany, Tokyo, Japan, Taiwan and Seoul, Korea.