Advanced Materials

Despite six rounds of negotiations to establish a global plastics treaty aimed at curbing plastic pollution, talks reached a stalemate last month. This highlights the urgent need for the development of efficient microplastic capture technologies to tackle microplastic pollution. IDTechEx looks at the emerging technologies to capture and filter microplastics, covering physical, chemical, and biological processes, and the players at the forefront of developing these solutions.

Join IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Dr Conor O'Brien on Thursday 23rd October for 'Cementing its Future: How Graphene Will Achieve Success in Concrete', an insightful webinar considering if its use in the construction industry could mark graphene's long-awaited breakthrough into mainstream markets and the associated commercial success. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

The sleekening and thinning down of electronics is a trend that isn't expected to leave any time soon, as miniaturization, seamlessness, and ease of use continue to be driving factors behind the technological developments across a number of industries. This article explores in-mold electronics, photovoltaics, conductive inks, and flexible batteries.

The increase in demand for high performance computing is resulting in the need for enhanced semiconductor performance, of which thermal management is a large component. This article covers some of the latest developments and favored materials involved in thermal management for advanced semiconductor packaging.

The performance of supercapacitors is dominated by design and materials choice. Carbon-based materials for electrodes have dominated in the supercapacitors market for electric double-layer supercapacitors (EDLCs), due to low cost, cycling durability and conductivity, and IDTechEx expects this will continue to be the case in the coming decade.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Thomas Bithell on Thursday 16th October for 'Coating Solutions Providing Advanced Corrosion Protection', an insightful webinar on innovation in anticorrosion coatings. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

Metal-organic frameworks, more commonly known as MOFs, have been recognized with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Nobel Prize award recognizes the promise and potential of MOFs, but the question remains over whether MOFs can deliver on the gap between the promise and real-world adoption. IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Dr Shababa Selim explains more in this new article.

Glass interposers and glass core substrates are being pursued intensively by leading device makers, materials suppliers, and equipment vendors for advanced packaging applications, as discussed in IDTechEx's brand new report "Glass in Semiconductors 2026-2036: Applications, Emerging Technologies, and Market Insights".

Thin film solar cells could be the answer to changing up the photovoltaic market, providing an alternative means of harnessing solar power to the long incumbent heavy and rigid silicon panels. This article covers materials, benefits, and expected growth within the market.

IDTechEx estimates that global rare earth magnet production will exceed 330 ktpa by 2036, as the USA and Europe move to reshore and scale domestic manufacturing capacity. Technology innovations addressing rare earth separation and magnet manufacturing will play a critical role in achieving increased magnet production while reducing reliance on supply-strapped heavy rare earths.