The Most Significant Advanced Materials News from 2021, Discussed by IDTechEx - Seite 3

Then on more mature advanced materials are seeing some key expansions. In green materials this includes Green Dot starting the work to double their bioplastic capacity, Braskem increasing their green ethylene production, and NatureWorks getting the green light to build a second PLA facility. Thermal interface materials are not the most exciting material category, but with increasing thermal management demands present an essential and growing market resulting in expansion announcements from Wacker, Elkem, and DuPont. The aerospace market is a key driving force behind many advanced materials and has been one of the most notable sectors significantly impacted by the pandemic, recovery is on the way as shown by Airbus receiving their first major order in November, but it still presents challenges for those in their supply chain. One such material is carbon fiber, but it is not all bad news for those players with Zoltek announcing an expansion of their large-tow fiber to meet the wind market demands.

The final area to explore for 2021 news is in the ultimate end-goal, product utilization. Here we will look at two sectors: electronics and energy storage.

Applications: electronics

The electronics industry has been dominated by the semiconductor news in 2021, mostly surrounding the chip shortage but also with excitement around TSMC and IBM 1nm and 2nm chip announcements, the role of ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology, and regional expansion plans.

Outside of this, there have been some interesting developments. Apple rumors and leaks around their next phone and AR/VR headset suggest that they will adopt the Wi-Fi 6E protocol requiring notable LTCC (low temperature cofired ceramics) substrates to be adopted. The quantum dot industry saw excitement from its most promising sector of displays, where acceleration and competition continued apace including indications that Samsung's QD-OLED TV is set to arrive in 2022, through to earlier-stage markets such as UbiQD installing solar windows on commercial buildings. Nanomaterials continue their progression across sectors, with examples like Nanowear and their nanofiber-enabled wearable for remote patient monitoring gaining further FDA clearance.