It is easy to look at an industry like composites and quickly dismiss it as slow-moving and of no real interest to you or your company, but the chances are you would be wrong.

Dr Richard Collins et al. discuss composites and their uses in drones and enabling internet infrastructure.

Earlier this month, IDTechEx analysts were invited to attend the second talk within the "From Discovery Science to Industrial Application" series, co-organised by the Cambridge Network and the Maxwell Centre.

The 21st-century commercialisation of the aerogel industry has been extensively discussed, but despite the excitement and huge potential, it is still a long way from plain sailing for the manufacturers.

Strong positive feedback and growth at Europe's most important event on emerging technologies

I have just recently returned from the Graphene 2017 conference in Barcelona where I gave an invited talk. There is tremendous scientific progress, both on CVD and platelet type graphene, and across many graphene applications. Interestingly, the participants however repeatedly suggested that the industry has now passed the peak of hype and is well into the disillusionment period.

In Mold Electronics is making a commercial comeback. The behind-the-scenes interest in IME remains robust. The first wave of products are close to market launch, the value networks are being enhanced, volume manufacturers are more engaged than ever, and the material set is transitioning beyond conductive inks to include transparent conductive films, sensors, actuators, and so on. Overall, we expect 2017/18 to the years when IME applications finally grow after years of on and off starts.

Trends and progress with printing techniques for Printed Electronics.

China has already once completely transformed the photovoltaic (PV) industry and maybe about to do so again.

The transparent conductive film (TCF) industry will leave behind its years of sluggish growth to achieve rapid growth.

IDTechEx recently attended the Mobile World Congress and visited the graphene flagship booth, which consisted of a number of graphene companies highlighting their latest work. Here are some of the highlights.

This new report by IDTechEx provides the most comprehensive and authoritative view of the conductive inks and paste market, giving detailed ten-year market forecasts segmented by application and material type.

The transparent conductive film (TCF) industry has witnessed upheaval in recent years.

In this article, we will briefly outline the progress in multiple emerging sectors whilst also identifying the latest trendy nascent application areas.

Silica aerogels and their use in fibrous composite panels and blankets remain the most prevalent form. Key market players and applications have driven this growth; however, this landscape could be about to shift.

A team of IDTechEx analysts attended CES 2017 in the first week of January. Our aim was to cover all of the latest updates and trends in each of the topics that we cover. In this exclusive premium article, we report our observations in the VR, AR/MR, smartwatch & fitness tracker, sensors, air quality monitoring, displays and haptics spaces.

Alternatives to silica aerogel panel and blanket composites are beginning to gain traction. Silica aerogel granule and powder products are becoming more pronounced as progressively more companies emerge. Meanwhile polymer aerogels are a different class of the material, which can have the potential to act as interesting alternatives to traditional plastic and composite products.

These past 12 months have seen numerous celebrity deaths, athlete drug scandals and the end of Brangelina however, it was also the year Tesla announced fully automated cars, Alexa became part of the family and Leicester City won the Premier League. As we plan ahead for 2017, IDTechEx analysts have taken a look back over the past 12 months and picked out the most impactful technology launches, acquisitions and products from 2016. Happy New Year from all at IDTechEx!

Watch our preview of the IDTechEx Show! coming up in Santa Clara on Nov. 16-17 (www.idtechex.com/usa).

IDTechEx Research has been closely following the ITO alternative market for the past five years. It forecasts that ITO alternative solutions will reach more than $250m by 2026. In this article, IDTechEx Research brings you an update on conductive ink-based metal mesh films.