Plastic pollution is rapidly becoming one of the world's biggest environmental issues as increasing production of single use plastic products far outweighs the world's ability to deal with them.

The EV market is booming. The battery is a key feature for both cost and performance, the chemistry and cell levels are extensively discussed. However, everything else that goes into a pack is often overlooked.

IDTechEx calculated that this industry received over $100m in investment in 2019. There are very good reasons for both the composite and 3D printing industry to be excited.

Masterclasses are the ideal way to train staff on emerging technologies. Bracketing the IDTechEx show in Berlin, the IDTechEx masterclasses on 12th and 15th May 2020 will contain the latest insights and analysis on their chosen topics.

In-Mold Electronics (IME) will one day become a well-established process with a well-developed ecosystem and a mature, easy-to-use design-to-product workflow. This process will become the basis of many novel structural electronic designs and products.

Some of the biggest hurdles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles are range anxiety, battery longevity and safety. As the electric vehicle market grows and for it to reach its full potential, there is an increased need for effective thermal management of the vehicles.

In 2020 the market for conductive inks will be $2.4Bn, according to extensive research by IDTechEx. Of that, 95% of the conductive ink supply by value goes into just three applications. However, for years now there has been work on a myriad of new applications for conductive ink, in this article we assess some of those opportunities.

Graphene is on the cusp of significant market growth; the opportunities are exciting and diverse, each with significant potential. Graphene and 2D Materials Europe 2020 (13-14 May, Berlin) is the largest B2B event on the topic with a dedicated focus on the commercial frontiers. www.GrapheneEurope.tech

The rise of electric vehicles is creating many new material opportunities. One such material class is the die attach material used in power electronics.

In this article, IDTechEx highlight the trends, challenges, and innovation opportunities, shedding light on the likely technology roadmap towards QLED.

Electric vehicles by land, water and air are rapidly arriving and rapidly being misunderstood. Motors last forever? No. We now push motors so hard they wear out, increasing sales.

Here come previously impossible devices and structures. The new IDTechEx report, "Smart Material Opportunities in Structural Electronics 2020-2030" analyses and forecasts a remarkable $200 billion materials opportunity by making dumb structures smart.

Recycling waste plastics is essential to creating a circular economy. Current recycling methods are hampered by issues such as societal perceptions of recycling, to economic barriers and technological; however, over the past few years the number of technical innovations to improve polymer recycling have substantially increased.

Central to any circular economy is polymer recycling. Current mechanical recycling processes face many issues from societal perceptions of recycling, to economic and technological barriers; however, there are a number of companies whose innovations are changing the face of polymer recycling. From IDTechEx's latest report, "Green Technology and Polymer Recycling: Market Analysis 2020-2030" by Dr Bryony Core, here is a rundown of some of these key companies.

Thermal interface materials (TIM) play a crucial role in numerous sectors, from lithium-ion batteries to 5G base stations, LEDs, consumer electronics and more. Heat dissipation is often on the of the limiting factors as many industries look to increase power and reduce the size.

At the recent IDTechEx Show in Santa Clara, C2Sense took the award for 'Graphene & 2D Materials - Most Significant Advancement In Graphene, CNT, Or 2D Material Commercialization'. Their application was on 'Selective CNT Gas Sensors' and was a popular choice with the independent judging panel.

Thermal Interface Materials (TIM) are not glamourous but are often an essential component found in all manner of electronic and energy storage applications. Indeed, they are absolutely pervasive. They are truly a diverse technology in terms of suppliers, material options, deposition techniques, applications, market requirement and performance levels. This makes them difficult to analyse.

Will market growth in thermoelectric energy harvesting primarily come from low or high power opportunities? Which researchers and manufacturers have the products with the most potential? Forecasts by industry? Significance of latest advances? Most active countries? It is all here in the new IDTechEx report, "Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting and Sensing 2020-2030"

These are exciting times for radar technology. Many changes are taking place. In this article, we outline some key trends from the recent IDTechEx report "Radars 2020-2030: Technologies, Future Trends, Forecasts".

3D printing has been touted as being a manufacturing cure-all for a whole host of different applications. The reality is very different, but this doesn't stop the onslaught of news articles proclaiming 3D printing to be the answer. Here's a roundup of the weird and wonderful world of 3D printing in 2019.