Research Articles

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are gaining significant traction as a conductive additive at the cathode of lithium-ion batteries (LiB), a market driven in turn by the electrification of vehicles. This success has seen an explosion in the global production capacity of CNTs, with players racing to establish themselves as a leading supplier to the energy sector. However, the potential application areas for CNTs extend far beyond batteries. In this article, IDTechEx assesses the effects of increasing capacity and how this surge in supply will open opportunities for CNTs beyond the LiB market.

Graphene has long been seen as a "wonder material" and a solution to many of the world's challenges. The reality is very different as, unsurprisingly, the hype did not immediately translate into commercial success.

The market for nanomaterials, especially nanocarbons, continues to grow - reflecting the potential to unlock several next-generation technologies. Most notable for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is incorporation in lithium-ion batteries, with production ramping up to fulfill demand, while major players are making acquisitions and expanding, leading to market consolidation.

The energy storage market is booming, driven predominantly by the electrification of the transportation sector. With the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LiB), significant attention has been given to the supply chain of materials for LiBs beyond lithium itself. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are gaining traction as a conductive additive at the cathode of LiBs, paving the way for significant expansion in the CNT market.

Following several decades of research and development, fuel cells are beginning to enable the promise of low-emission power generation, with specific success seen for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).

The desire for zero-emission power generation has seen solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) touted as a possible solution. SOFC's capability to run on hydrogen and at a higher efficiency than alternative fuel cells when providing combined heat and power (CHP) is an enticing prospect, while fuel flexibility allows for a transition from hydrocarbons towards zero emission power generation as part of the hydrogen economy.

Fuel cells could play an important role in the future of power generation, enabling the transition from traditional hydrocarbon fuels to low or zero-emission fuels. The fuel flexibility of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) offers a competitive advantage over the currently dominant proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), which is limited to operating on hydrogen.

Bipolar plates form the backbone of proton exchange fuel cells and consequently capture a significant portion of the fuel cell stack value, with IDTechEx forecasting their market value to exceed US$2.4 bn by 2033.

Membrane materials are of fundamental importance for fuel cells. So significant, in fact, that they typically give their name to the fuel cell, as is the case for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, with IDTechEx forecasting the market for ion-exchange membranes in PEM fuel cells to be worth over USD$1.1 billion by 2033.

Catalysts are critical for the performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. As the trend towards zero-emission vehicles continues, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are projected to grow accordingly as a market sector.

Despite strong incumbent materials for certain components, the technology landscape for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is set to change in many varied ways over the coming years. An increased materials demand in terms of both volume and units, reducing the cost of components, and the emergence of disruptive technologies are all expected, while supply chain agreements are being established and strengthened across the industry. Alongside the growth in demand, emerging trends, and player analysis, IDTechEx detail how the associated materials market for PEM fuel cells is expected to exceed a value of US$7bn by 2033.

The true description of graphene is that of a single atomic layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal array. However, the nanocarbon material landscape is much more complicated than this simple statement, with single-layer, few-layer, multi-layer, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and both graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) all to be considered as types of graphene.