CNTs to MOFs - A Dive into Advanced Materials

From the small yet mighty capabilities of carbon nanotubes, to self-healing materials and metal-organic frameworks, IDTechEx dives into some of most intelligent material technologies currently being developed in their portfolio of Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals Research Reports.

 

 

The advanced carbon family, consisting of different types and dimensions, includes carbon nanotubes (CNT), which can act as a complementary or competing material alongside other types of carbon. CNTs are favoured in many applications, including cathodes and anodes for Li-ion batteries, for their tensile strength, conductivity, strong charge carrying capabilities, and electrical resistivity.

 

Within Li-ion battery applications, advantages such as an increased number of cycles, improved energy density through thicker electrodes, and improved temperature performance can be seen with the use of CNTs, which will be more in demand alongside the electrification of transport. Alongside graphite anodes, conductivity and cycle life can also be improved with CNTs, and the use of conductive additives may lead to better conductive pathways, with carbon black being a popular choice.

 

IDTechEx's report, "Carbon Nanotubes 2025-2035: Market, Technology & Players", covers other applications for CNTs, including fuel lines, automotive bumpers, and ESD packaging, which use multi-wall CNTs specifically and are the closest to becoming mature applications. Single-wall CNTs may see greater uptake within gas sensor and memory technologies in the future, though these are still within testing and proof-of-concept stages. Increasing the quality of thermal interface materials, conductive composites, reinforced composites, and sensors are also examples of the versatility of CNTs, and their potential to enhance performance across a number of materials and sectors. However, costs and not yet mature supply chains currently stand as barriers to their uptake for high-volume markets.

 

IDTechEx's research also dives into manufacturing methods for CNTs, such as laser ablation and the many subsections of chemical vapour deposition (CVD), including high pressure carbon monoxide (HiPCO), CoMoCat, eDIPS, and plasma enhanced CVD.

 

 

Office buildings could soon be able to repair their own cracks and imperfections using the intelligent, autonomous cycles of self-healing materials. The longevity of infrastructure could see big improvements, with a decrease in maintenance and building repairs over its lifetime. Dealing with potential faults as they arise early on could prevent further damage from occurring later down the line, meaning using these materials could be a worthwhile investment to protect buildings from premature structural failure and degradation.

 

Intrinsic and extrinsic refer to the types of self-healing materials. Intrinsic means that the host material naturally holds the ability to self-heal through a reaction process when exposed to air or water, such as through a crack, and can generate healing qualities as part of its inherent makeup. Extrinsic self-healing refers to the process of embedded artefacts within a material being able to provide a healing agent in response to any damage. Microcapsules and vascular are two subsections of extrinsic healing, which see either small capsules releasing reactive materials into a crack when prompted, or a network embedded within a host material that is able to supply reactants to areas that need it.

 

This technology paves the way for a number of sectors using manmade materials to take advantage of self-healing materials, including automotives, where scratches or dents on vehicles could repair themselves, preventing the need for a trip to the garage and additional maintenance costs.

 

Some of the other applications explored within IDTechEx's report, "Self-Healing Materials 2025-2035: Technologies, Applications, and Players", include tires, paint protection film, concrete, and anti-corrosion coatings, which are still on the way to becoming commercialized. Application types still in developmental stages include Li-ion batteries, silicon anodes, battery electrodes, and sensors, with the report providing forecasts over the next decade.

 

 

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are tunable, versatile, highly periodic structures with high surface areas, made from networks of metal ions coordinated to organic ligands. Over 100,000 different structures with unique characteristics are known to date, with applications ranging across carbon capture, water harvesting, chemical separation, gas storage, and more. The individuality of different MOFs structures is what creates interest amongst such a wide variety of sectors, as they can be used in a number of different industrial processes.

 

Biogas upgrading and extracting water from the atmosphere (i.e. water harvesting) are some of the emerging applications of MOFs. MOFs can also be used to capture carbon dioxide from emission sources or directly from the atmosphere, with several companies currently conducting pilot trials.

 

IDTechEx's report, "Metal-Organic Frameworks 2025-2035: Markets, Technologies, and Forecasts", provides in depth analysis of MOF manufacturing processes and MOF-based technologies in development, with a comprehensive overview of market activity, outlook, and 10-year forecasts for material demand and market size.

 

For more information on IDTechEx's research into the latest advanced materials and critical minerals, visit the portfolio of Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals Research Reports.