Thermal runaway and the associated battery fires have proven to be a critical concern for customers, battery designers, and electric vehicle manufacturers. Many vehicles have experienced battery fires and hundreds of thousands have been recalled.

Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) come in different forms, including thermal pads, thermal grease, gap fillers, thermal paste, and thermal gels. Thermal gel and thermal paste, two of the most commonly used forms, have gained significant momentum over the past several years, especially in the EV, data center, and 5G industries.

Smooth, functional surfaces that provide touch sensing, often with backlighting, are becoming increasingly common. Applications range from vehicle interiors and domestic appliances to medical devices and aircraft seating. Rather than relying on a mechanical or membrane switch, these surfaces utilize capacitive touch sensing - the same principle used in smartphone displays.

Materials informatics is the application of data-driven methods, including machine learning techniques, to the field of materials science. This important part of the digital transformation toolbox for the materials industry has wide-ranging benefits, but the ability to enhance the sustainability of materials and their manufacturing processes could be the most impactful of these.

Legislation restricting the usage of "forever chemicals", or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is being debated in major markets like the European Union and the US.

Thursday 20 April - The Surging Market for Thermal Interface Materials. This webinar will give a general overview of the TIMs used in EV, Data Center, ASAS, EMI shielding, 5G, and Consumer Electronics. The webinar discusses how TIM properties and demand will change with an analysis of the market trend and industrial news and collaborations.

Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) come in different forms and thermal conductivities. Typical TIM forms include gap pads, thermal greases, thermally conductive adhesives (TCA), and phase change materials.

Depending on the technology being talked about, there are already solid-state batteries being commercialized and they could enable a US$8 billion dollar business opportunity in 2033, according to IDTechEx's report "Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2023-2033: Technology, Forecasts, Players".

Asked whether electronics is a 'digital technology', almost everyone would reply in the affirmative. However, while printed circuit boards (PCBs) enable digital technologies, the manufacturing processes used to produce them are still largely analog.

When thinking of the applications of low-loss materials in 5G devices, the first that comes to mind for most is 5G smartphones. After all, low-loss materials are integral in enabling advanced 5G antennas-in-packages (AiP) for smartphones, and high-profile smartphone manufacturers like Apple have gone back and forth about which low-loss material they chose for their 5G antennas in their flagship phones like the iPhone.

Thermal Interface Material (TIM) plays an important role in power electronics, computing processors, sensors, and energy storage devices. TIMs are the materials used to fill the void between heat sources and heat sinks to enhance heat transfer.

Refractive lenses are an 800-year-old technology that has stood the test of time. Glasses, cameras, and microscopy are all applications that rely on lenses to redirect light by varying the optical path through a curved piece of glass or plastic. However, the underlying architecture of lenses may be about to change.

Integrating multiple functionalities within a single entity promises simpler, more efficient devices without compromising capability. Smartphones are a great example, with maps, diaries, phones, cameras, games consoles, and more integrated into a single, compact device.

Solid-state battery, one of the most promising next-generation battery technologies, has the potential to reshuffle the global battery supply chain, and a US$8 billion-market-size opportunity is potentially waiting for solid-state batteries, according to IDTechEX's report "Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2023-2033: Technology, Forecasts, Players".

At Tesla's Investor Day in March 2023, it announced that its next generation of electric motors would contain no rare earth materials. Given Tesla's huge presence in the EV (electric vehicle) market, this could prove a significant transition for the design and sustainability of electric motors.

Using graphene to improve the performance of energy storage devices has been a key focus ever since the 2D material was isolated. As soon as the first commercial graphene manufacturers were established, there has been a steady stream of announcements related to batteries, but perhaps none are as significant as the 2023 news of Evonik entering the field with their investment in SuperC.

Surfaces, be they in kitchen appliances, automotive interiors, medical devices, or even furniture, are becoming increasingly smart. Embedded lighting, touch sensitivity, heating, and even haptic feedback enables inanimate and often neglected surfaces into a design feature with seamlessly integrated user controls. But what is the best way to manufacture these smart surfaces?

Thursday 2 March 2023 - Key takeaways from the webinar: Solid-state battery landscape; Solid-state battery development; Controversial opinions on solid-state batteries and corresponding analysis; Important factors for solid-state battery commercialization; Targeting market

The next generation of telecoms technologies, 5G, is not fully deployed yet; in fact, the exciting high-frequency bands of mmWave 5G are not set to take off for another several years, according to IDTechEx forecasts.