Graphene

A Discussion With The IDTechEx Research Director. This is the final part of a two-part article written by Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, a leading industry expert and Research Director at IDTechEx, discussing the global graphene market, more information on the topic can be found in his report "Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes: Markets, Technologies and Opportunities 2019-2029".

Graphene industry is entering a new phase, a phase of growth. The industry has accumulated significant experience over the past 10-12 years to bring about this phase. In this article, IDTechEx Research offer opinions about the recent past and future outlook of the graphene industry based on the report 'Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes: Markets, Technologies and Opportunities 2019-2029'.

Since 2014/2015 IDTechEx Research noticed that the centre of graphene research and commercial activity was shifting to China. This trend had shown itself in publication and patent numbers, as well as in investments and capacity announcements. The precedent was also there: China had stepped in late but became a leading territory in commercialising carbon nanotubes.

IIDTechEx Research asks if the graphene competitive landscape will be drastically reconfigured. These are interesting times for graphene. Multiple significant applications have arrived in the market. Revenues are growing for many and companies are finally seeing average order sizes grow thanks to a few high volume (multi-tonne) lead conversions. This looks like the first stage of the growth phase.

In this slide presentation we give an assessment of graphene as an electronic material.

Like many advanced materials, there is a significant learning curve to progress promising lab results to real commercial products. This includes a learning experience from the manufacturer, for cost-effective high-volume production, and a learning experience for the end-user, to establish the value and utilisation of this market entry. IDTechEx have been following this market throughout this learning experience, and the 13th edition of their commercially focussed B2B graphene conference, Graphene & 2D Materials, will be held from 10 - 11 April 2019 in Berlin, Germany.

We have been following the graphene industry as analysts for the past seven years. The results of our ongoing research can be seen in our report on Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes: Markets, Technologies and Opportunities 2018-2028. In this time, we have seen the industry grow in maturity.

Graphene is not a young material: the Nobel Prize was awarded in 2010 and the first pioneering firms were established before that c. 2006. Graphene thus has more than a decade of commercial experience already. As IDTechEx have argued previously, after all this time, graphene is becoming increasingly available and affordable and is finally findings its first wave of volume markets. In this article, we will look at the evolution of graphene commercialization so far and will offer some insights about the future.

The key next iteration for fiber reinforced polymer products will be the concept of multifunctionality. This is the idea of making a structural part carry out additional role(s) beyond their current primary mechanical task - the market for smart composite material is forecast to exceed 5 kilotons by 2029.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 13 September titled Graphene and Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Commercialization: Past, Present and Future.