With so many PFAS and just as many applications for them, why are PFAS now coming under increased scrutiny? Scientific evidence is growing that, depending on different factors, continued exposure to specific PFAS may lead to negative health effects, such as increased risk of cancer, per the US EPA and the OECD.

As the world grapples with plastic waste, which is set to double by 2050, recycling alone cannot meet the growing demand for plastic feedstocks. This is where bioplastics come into play, offering a potential solution to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and minimize the environmental footprint.

Despite much investment and interest, some key questions surrounding sustainability and economic viability, as well as new regulatory pressures, are putting into question the future of this technology.

CPO represents a significant leap in data transmission technology by integrating the optical engine and the switching silicon onto the same substrate. This design eliminates the need for signals to traverse the PCB, further reducing the electrical channel path and significantly improving performance.

Thursday 10 October 2024 - An overview of bioplastics; How new Chinese regulations are transforming the industry; How other countries are approaching bioplastics regulations; The changing landscape of bioplastic applications; Why bio-composites using bioplastics are seeing increased interest and their challenges; IDTechEx's outlook and conclusions

The chemicals industry depends heavily on finite fossil fuel feedstocks and is responsible for 2% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. IDTechEx explores how captured CO2 could be utilized as a feedstock for hundreds of different chemicals instead, providing an economic and environmental incentive to capture carbon dioxide and create a circular economy.

With over 100 million electric vehicles (EVs) expected to reach end-of-life over the next two decades, IDTechEx's latest report predicts that the value of critical materials recovered annually by 2045 will surpass US$100B.

The Chinese market has seen an explosion in the production capacity for PLA, a biodegradable bioplastic. One of the effects of this shift in the market is that between 2025 and 2035, IDTechEx has forecast that PLA will increase its market share quite significantly, with it expected to hold around 30% of the bioplastics installed capacity.

Semiconductor manufacturing processes require many chemicals and specialty gases. Owing to its cryogenic properties, exceptional thermal conductivity, chemical inertness, and high diffusivity, helium is used throughout the semiconductor manufacturing line, particularly for wafer cooling where there are no viable alternatives.

Conductive inks are a diverse and versatile technology, with differing price points to suit various applications. Conductivity, stretchability, cost, and durability are just some of the factors of consideration for manufacturers when selecting ink types and materials, and IDTechEx's latest report, Conductive Inks Market 2024-2034: Technologies, Applications, Players, deep dives into the many combinations available.

Tuesday 24 September 2024 - How Chronic Supply Challenges Are Reshaping Helium Use in Key Industries. An overview of global helium production and supply; Impact of supply challenges on different industries e.g. semiconductors and fiber optics manufacturing, cryogenics, and several others; Technological advances to reduce helium consumption (e.g. MRI and NMR); Trends in the adoption of substitutes or reclamation systems; Outlook for global helium production capacity and demand

High-performance computing, 6G communication, autonomous vehicle chips, and consumer electronics are all key markets that benefit from advancing semiconductor packaging. IDTechEx's report, "Advanced Semiconductor Packaging 2024-2034: Forecasts, Technologies, Applications", goes into detail about emerging technologies, including 2.5D and 3D packaging.

Silver-flake-based inks currently dominate the conductive inks market, but the outlook for non-silver inks is set to change dramatically over the coming decade, with a CAGR of 24%. Stretchable/thermoformable inks and copper inks will seize the largest market share, driven by applications such as in-mold electronics, wearable electrodes, and RFID & smart packaging.

Carbon capture technologies capable of removing CO2 from industrial emissions have been around for over 50 years, but widescale deployment of CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) has been too slow for global net-zero ambitions. While governments are beginning to implement carbon pricing mechanisms or tax credits to motivate permanent storage of CO2 deep underground, a profitable business model exists beyond CO2 sequestration via emerging CO2 utilization applications.

The key to wider adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) will be lower-cost models with a more approachable price point. The most expensive component of an EV is the battery pack. As well as increasing the energy density and reducing the cost of the battery cells, another avenue to cost reduction is through more efficient packaging of the cells.

The rise of co-packaged optics is transforming modern data centers and high-performance networks by addressing critical challenges such as bandwidth density, energy efficiency, and scalability. CPO enhances interconnect bandwidth and energy efficiency by integrating optics and electronics within a single package, significantly shortening electrical link lengths.

Helium is a finite resource that plays a critical role across several industries including medical imaging, thermal management systems for batteries, aerospace engineering, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, semiconductor manufacturing, fiber optics, particle physics, scientific balloons, and many more.

Thursday 12 September 2024 - How Is Critical Material Recovery Unlocking a Multi-Billion Dollar Market? Introduction to critical materials and key application markets; Critical material sources and why secondary material streams are rapidly emerging; Critical material recovery technology trends and their application in secondary sources; Valuable lessons to learn from established critical platinum group metal and semiconductor recovery; IDTechEx's outlook and conclusions on emerging critical material recovery markets and key growth opportunities.

End-of-life equipment from automotives, electric vehicles, e-waste and decarbonized energy technologies are rapidly emerging secondary raw material sources for valuable critical materials. A new report from IDTechEx forecasts that US$110B of critical materials will be recovered annually from secondary sources by 2045, with a combined weight of over 3.3 million tonnes.

IDTechEx projects that the combined market for optical and radio-frequency metamaterials will reach US$15 billion by 2034. This article will delve into the key applications driving the expansion of the Radio-Frequency (RF) metamaterial market.