Graphene and advanced coatings are two of the subject matters explored in IDTechEx's extensive portfolio of Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals Research Reports, given their role within some of the largest tech industries, such as thermal management and automotives.
Graphene's market growth and movements
Moving into the market is the next step for graphene, as the material becomes increasingly integrated into commercial applications. Graphene can fulfil many roles, including within thermal management. Thermal interface materials are utilized to enable quick heat transfer from a heat source to a heat sink, avoiding overheating with efficient dispersion. IDTechEx identifies that some carbon-based fillers, graphene included, have higher thermal conductivity than many metals including copper, silver and gold, and therefore act as strong competitors.
Smartphones are increasingly using graphene within thermal management systems to keep up with the demand for high performance. Its role is seen to change between being used as a localized heat spreader, a large heat spreader, or replacing a vapor chamber. The company Huawei has been seen to combine a highly conductive graphene sheet with a liquid cooling vapor chamber, to optimize thermal management and heat transfer. IDTechEx's report, "Graphene & 2D Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Players", provides details on multiple players within both the smartphone and computer industries, that have integrated graphene into their devices.
Wider applications and manufacturing techniques
E-textiles is another sector seeing graphene uptake, where it can provide electrical conductivity by creating conductive pathways for circuitry, thermal dissipation, mechanical benefits such as durability, flexibility and strength, and antimicrobial properties. IDTechEx describes different routes into the development graphene textiles, from coating textiles with graphene-enhanced formulations, through to creating a full graphene fiber.
There are a number of processes involved in producing graphene, all varying greatly and differing in approach. These production methods may incorporate oxidization, reduction, liquid phase exfoliation, electrochemical exfoliation, dry exfoliation, plasma exfoliation, chemical vapor deposition, and more outlined in IDTechEx's report.
Advanced coatings creating advanced performance
The implementation of advanced coatings comes as a result of their highly desirable properties that can serve a number of applications in categories outlined by IDTechEx as manufacturing ease, coating performance, and sustainability.
The long shelf life of advanced coatings may see reduced waste and improved flexibility, while short, ambient cure times will allow for faster throughput and a combined lower energy consumption. The low viscosity of some advanced coatings may also allow for spray applications, enhancing ease of use and ensuring controlled coating application for complex shapes. In terms of performance, the lighter and thinner consistencies of advanced coatings will enable greater usage energy efficiency and allow for their use in applications with limited space availability or minimization requirements.
IDTechEx's report, "Advanced Coatings 2026-2036: Market, Technologies, Players", provides details on different types of coatings, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. PFAS-free advanced coatings may provide relief from forever chemicals that pose risks to health and the environment, while water-based coatings, though safer and requiring less ventilation infrastructure, may not be the best fit for electronic applications, presenting a trade-off between performance and other factors. Other types of coatings, including volatile organic compounds, are described as being able to dry more quickly and be compatible with a wider array of materials, potentially making them favorable over safer, water-based alternatives, despite potential environmental implications.
The expanse of advanced coatings will mean that some are better suited to specific industrial use cases than others. IDTechEx's report provides in-depth market research into the developments of advanced coatings and their abilities to provide longevity and functionality benefits across a diverse range of industries and applications.
For more information on graphene, advanced coatings, and other advanced materials, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals Research Reports.
