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.

Despite component shortages and rising material prices, Electric vehicles (EVs) have continued their strong growth throughout 2022, with sales looking to be increased by over 60% compared with the previous year. One factor that is difficult to overlook is vehicle fire safety. In addition to the major automotive recalls seen in 2020 and 2021 for GM, Hyundai, Ford, and others, 2022 also highlighted issues in other vehicle segments.

Essential to understanding the evolution of the polymer 3D printing industry is exploring the change from low-cost printing technologies and materials to the slow growth and adoption of innovative polymer printing technologies and materials, from viscous thermosets to carbon fiber composites to foams.

Thursday 23 February 2023 - Opportunities for Integrated Functionality. In this webinar Dr Matthew Dyson, a Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, will discuss the following topics: - The status of IME and competing approaches for creating functional and decorative interfaces across multiple application sectors. - The challenges and benefits associated with functionality integration, and how the value proposition of IME is likely to grow over time. - IME specific material requirements, especially for conductive inks. - A roadmap for IME adoption, segmented by industry.

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle market has driven the development, manufacture and sales of batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, which are dominating the battery industry for a decade.

Membrane materials are of fundamental importance for fuel cells. So significant, in fact, that they typically give their name to the fuel cell, as is the case for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, with IDTechEx forecasting the market for ion-exchange membranes in PEM fuel cells to be worth over USD$1.1 billion by 2033.

Enhancing 'sustainability' is a widely held aspiration within the electronics industry - realizing this transition is considerably more difficult. To this day, toxic chemicals, material waste, and energy-intensive processing are commonplace.

Friday 10 February 2023 - Status and prospects of competing analogue and digital manufacturing methods for printed electronics; Technical discussion of emerging digital manufacturing methodologies; Evaluation of the benefits and challenges of adopting high throughput R2R manufacturing; and Innovations in component placement and attachment that will facilitate manufacturing of FHE.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 - Technological Developments and Applications. Contents that will be covered in this webinar include: An overview of PIC technology; Drivers of increased data demands from data centres; PIC trends in the communications industry; and PIC adoption in other markets

Quantum Computers: What Are They and When Will They Create Commercial Value? In the last decade, the number of companies actively developing quantum computer hardware has quadrupled. In 2022 multiple funding rounds surpassing US$100 million have been closed, and the transition from lab-based toys to commercial products has begun.

The materials industry is sometimes described as conservative, but digital transformation is well underway in the sector. Materials informatics - the application of data-centric approaches, including machine learning, to materials R&D - has the potential to be the most impactful arm of this process.

The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Market: Will It Finally Take-off? Recognized as one of the key technologies essential to achieving net-zero emissions targets, the momentum behind carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) deployment is building up. This webinar highlights the findings of the new IDTechEx report, "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2023-2043", a comprehensive market report on the CCUS industry.

Can electronics manufacturing be reconfigured for our digital, environmentally-conscious age? IDTechEx's new report, "Manufacturing Printed Electronics 2023-2033", explores a wide range of manufacturing innovations that will enable additive, digital, and higher throughput electronics production across many length scales.