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2021

The Most Significant Advanced Materials News from 2021

With the pandemic still raging, supply chain disruptions, the chip shortage, climate catastrophes, and geopolitical turbulence, it is safe to say 2021 has not been smooth sailing. The materials and chemical sector provides the backbone of every industry and remains under pressure from all these challenges. In this article, IDTechEx highlights the key news from their independent perspective on this crucial industry.

Electronic Nose on a Drone Sniffs out Wastewater Treatment Plant Stink

Researchers have engineered a portable electronic nose that's almost as sharp as a human nose at sniffing out the stink of wastewater treatment plants. Coupled with a drone, the lightweight e-nose can measure the concentration of different smells, predict odor intensity, and produce a real-time odor map of the plant for management.

Unmasking the Magic of Superconductivity in Twisted Graphene

The discovery in 2018 of superconductivity in two single-atom-thick layers of graphene stacked at a precise angle of 1.1 degrees (called 'magic'-angle twisted bilayer graphene) came as a big surprise to the scientific community. Since the discovery, physicists have asked whether magic graphene's superconductivity can be understood using existing theory, or whether fundamentally new approaches are required - such as those being marshalled to understand the mysterious ceramic compound that superconducts at high temperatures.

Brill Power Revolutionises Battery Performance

Brill Power has launched the first in a new class of 'intelligent' battery management systems that are set to revolutionise the performance of stationary energy storage systems to power the future of homes and businesses globally.

SES

SES, formerly known as SolidEnergy Systems, used to pursue solid-state Li-Metal technology. SolidEnergy was a spin out from MIT founded in 2012 by Dr. Qichao Hu. It was incubated at A123 in its early years. In 2015, Dr Hu realized that all solid-state batteries look good on paper but have fundamental difficulties in real cell production. Then in 2018, the company changed its name to SES after restructuring, addressing its focus on hybrid approach with high-concentration solvent-in-salt liquid electrolyte, solid-state protection coating for Li-Metal anode and AI software to monitor the battery health. The hybrid approach also has a more practical mass manufacturing capability.

Faradion

Faradion are a UK company developing Na-ion batteries for stationary and electric vehicle applications.

Micro-LED Displays From 2021 Onward

From mobile phones, TVs, to cars and public screens, displays have become an important component in daily life to convey information. The importance of displays becomes more significant during COVID-19, as the demand to have a display for remote communication is higher. There is an emerging display type— Micro-LED display, which has the potential to become the next-generation mainstream, with its ability to be fabricated from tiny to huge sizes. The challenges and opportunities are discussed in the IDTechEx report "Micro-LED Displays 2021-2031: Technology, Commercialization, Opportunity, Market and Players".

AI Could Alert Firefighters of Imminent Danger

Firefighting is a race against time. Exactly how much time? For firefighters, that part is often unclear. Building fires can turn from bad to deadly in an instant, and the warning signs are frequently difficult to discern amid the mayhem of an inferno.

Teijin

Teijin is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the fields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness.

Studying Wombat Burrows with Remote Controlled WomBot

Wombats reside and sleep in burrows and occupy a different burrow every four to ten days. Parasitic mites that cause sarcoptic mange, a serious disease affecting wombats, are thought to be transmitted when wombats occupy each other's burrows but it has not been clear whether conditions within burrows promote this transmission.

Slender Robotic Finger Senses Buried Items

Discerning buried items in granular material like sand is a taller order. To do that, a robot would need fingers that were slender enough to penetrate the sand, mobile enough to wriggle free when sand grains jam, and sensitive enough to feel the detailed shape of the buried object.

NTherma

NTherma produce high aspect ratio multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene (nanoplatelets and nanoribbons). IDTechEx spoke with Dr Cattien Nguyen (President and CEO) and Thuy Ngo (VP Business Development)

Micro-LED Displays for 2021 Onwards

From mobile phones, TVs, to cars and public screens, displays have become an important component in our daily life to convey information. There is an emerging display type— Micro-LED display, which has the potential to become the next-generation mainstream.

Amazon's Robot Arms Break Ground in Safety, Technology

Inside an Amazon facility, employees and robot work together to ready products for customers. On one side of the building, yellow tote bins bearing partially completed orders, ride down a conveyor. At the end of the conveyor, a robot arm called a palletizer/depalletizer stacks them on a pallet as if playing a three-dimensional game of Tetris.

Non-Invasive Glucose Sensing Technologies

In this premium article, IDTechEx examines various approaches that have been made in developing non-invasive glucose sensors for diabetes management.

Second Generation Robot Shuttles

The IDTechEx report, "Robot Shuttles and Autonomous Buses 2020-2040," predicted second-generation robot shuttles, and here they come - vectored traction and steering, smart windows, robotic fast charging, and solar bodywork, so 10-40% less charging is needed.

Soft and Comfortable E-Textiles

Advances in wearable devices have enabled e-textiles, which fuse lightweight and comfortable textiles with smart electronics, and are garnering attention as the next-generation wearable technology. In particular, fiber electronic devices endowed with electrical properties, while retaining the specific characteristics of textiles, are key elements in manufacturing e-textiles.

Weakness is Strength for this Low-Temperature Battery

Nanoengineers have discovered new fundamental insights for developing lithium metal batteries that perform well at ultra-low temperatures; mainly, that the weaker the electrolyte holds on to lithium ions, the better. By using such a weakly binding electrolyte, the researchers developed a lithium metal battery that can be repeatedly recharged at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius—a first in the field.

First Electric, Foiling Boat Aces Safety and Noise Test

Candela Seven is the world's first electric hydrofoil boat to enter the market, and as such, had to pass a set of trials to meet the Swiss safety, noise, and emission standards.

Solar Vehicles 2021-2041 2nd Edition

IDTechEx Report: Dr Peter Harrop and Dr Matthew Dyson

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