Advanced Materials

By 2050, the European Union aims to be climate neutral. In pursuit of this goal, the first half of 2020 saw renewables — including solar, hydro, wind and bioenergy — produce more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU.

Self-healing materials are a new megatrend. The need is massive, from saving trillions of dollars lost yearly by collapsing buildings and bridges to bionic man and woman living better and longer. In saving the planet and preserving resources, long life from self-healing beats recycling any day.

Advances in intuitive microwriting devices that can print microstructures could pattern electric circuits and more. The setup, featuring a robot arm to hold the micropen, deposits ink onto the surface, much like writing by hand with a fountain pen.

Smart buildings aim to bring digital technologies into the fabric of the building, rather than just to objects within it. They will utilize a wide range of emerging technologies, such as semi-transparent photovoltaics on windows, moisture sensors for leak detection, and printed heaters with wall panels.

A two-dimensional nanomaterial-based flexible memory device is a critical element in the next-generation wearable market because it plays a crucial role in data storage, processing, and communication.

A cynic would say that, because soft materials tend to creep back after damage, we already have a trillion-dollar market for self-healing materials but that is simply renaming existing things. In contrast, we have a new opportunity for value-added self-healing materials that are better than that and a huge unfulfilled need.

IDTechEx attended Formnext, Europe's biggest 3D printing trade show and one of the biggest 3D printing conferences in the world, on November 16th-19th, 2021. This premium article covers many of the products launched at Formnext with a focus on printers, materials, and post-processing equipment.

Wednesday 8 December 2021 - How has COVID-19 affected the 3D printing industry? Is the industry already on the path to recovery, or is the pandemic a major setback to AM's progress? What do the IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, and SPAC-offerings mean for the future of 3D printing? and more.

Within this year of recovery, IDTechEx has noted the development and/or continuation of micro-trends within each major 3D printing subspecialty: polymer, ceramic, composite, and metal additive manufacturing. In this article, IDTechEx identifies and explains the micro-trends for each material specialty that are worth keeping an eye on going into 2022.

Presentation from CHASM

Materic is an advanced materials company based out of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. IDTechEx discussed Materic's 3D Printing activities with Stephen Farias (CEO), Colin Harmer (Business Development Specialist), and Chris Ewing (Director of Sales and Marketing).

Thursday 9 December 2021 - Assessment of the key mergers and acquisitions; Important funding rounds across; Notable partnerships; Establishment and expansion of production facilities; Role in key application areas including electronic devices, energy storage and 3D printing; Progression in various fields of green technology

Researchers are reporting a potential breakthrough that could help speed commercialization of highly promising perovskite solar cells for use in solar panels.

CHASM Advanced Materials is a company that specializes in nanotube hybrid products. IDTechEx has previously covered CHASM's work in printed electronics and recently spoke with Dr Hari Harikumar (GM - New Ventures) and Ken Klapproth (Chief Marketing Officer) about their progression in other application areas.

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.

Enpro Industries (NYSE: NPO) is a leading technology company creates and manufactures materials science-enabled solutions for technology-intensive industries. With a patent portfolio of 400+ patents and a staff of 5,300, their manufacturing footprint spans four continents to serve customers around the globe. IDTechEx spoke with Jim Drago, Principal Applications Engineer, and Sherwin Damdar, Director of Product Management and Innovation from Enpro on 20th Oct 2021.

Cambridge Carbon Capture is a British carbontech company developing a technology to convert carbon dioxide from emissions and silicate minerals into magnesium carbonate and other valuable outputs such as silicon dioxide and rare earth metals. In October 2021, IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Hydra Rodrigues spoke to Michael Evans, CEO at Cambridge Carbon Capture.

Nano Ops, Inc. is pleased to host its first webinar on December 2, 2021 @ 1:30 eastern since the launch of FLEX RD and FFx RD800, Fab-in-a-Tool series products. Nano OPS is the world's first manufacturer of purely additive manufacturing tools capable of printing nanoscale features, bringing a nanomanufacturing fab in your lab.

Nano-OPS, a spin-out from Northeastern University, have developed an innovative method of producing additive electronics. This involves the assembly of nanomaterials to produce features as small as 20 nm, enabling the production of devices with transistors, inverters, MEMS and more.

Engineers have achieved a new benchmark in the design of atomically thin solar cells made of semiconducting perovskites, boosting their efficiency while retaining their ability to stand up to the environment.