The global market for conductive inks has grown considerably in recent years due to their utilization in printed and flexible electronics, although many impressive materials are still in development (e.g graphene, nanotubes).
There is an increasing demand for printable conductive inks for applications such as smart packaging, flexible displays, OLEDs, thin film transistors, OPV and smart textiles.
Not only will demand across all current markets grow, but the development of new materials and processes is leading to the creation of new market opportunities for conductive ink producers and suppliers in flexible, customized and 3D printed electronics Opportunities explored in this report include:
Copper and silver inks will continue to dominate the market for the next few years but growth in flexible electronics necessitates the development of new materials Conductive ink materials explored in this report include:
Report contents include:
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 The evolution of electronics 19
1.2 The wearables revolution 20
1.3 Flexible, thin, and large-area form factors 21
1.4 From rigid to flexible and stretchable 23
1.5 Organic and printed electronics 25
1.6 New conductive materials 26
1.7 Applications 30
1.8 Main markets for conductive inks 31
2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3 MATERIALS UTILIZED IN CONDUCTIVE INKS
3.1 Conductive ink types 34
3.1.1 Nanoparticle ink 36
3.2 Sintering 36
3.3 Conductive Filaments 37
3.4 Conductive films, foils and grids 37
3.5 Printed conductive seed layers 37
3.6 Printing methods 38
3.7 Inkjet printing Iin flexible electronics 43
3.7.1 Desktop PCB printing 43
3.8 SILVER INK (Flake, nanoparticles, nanowires, ion) 44
3.8.1 Silver flake 44
3.8.2 Silver (Ag) nanoparticle ink 45
3.8.2.1 Conductivity 46
3.8.3 Silver nanowires 47
3.8.4 Prices 50
3.8.4.1 Cost for printed area 50
3.9 COPPER INK 51
3.9.1 Silver-coated copper 52
3.9.2 Copper (Cu) nanoparticle ink 52
3.9.3 Prices 54
3.10 CARBON NANOTUBES 54
3.10.1 Properties 54
3.10.2 Properties utilized in printed electronics 55
3.10.2.1 Single-walled carbon nanotubes 56
3.10.3 Applications 58
3.11 CONDUCTIVE POLYMERS (CP) 61
3.11.1 Properties 61
3.11.1.1 PDMS 61
3.11.1.2 PEDOT: PSS 62
3.11.1.2.1 Transparency 62
3.11.2 Properties utilized in printed electronics 63
3.11.3 Applications 64
3.12 GRAPHENE 66
3.12.1 Properties 66
3.12.2 Properties utilized in printed electronics 68
3.12.3 Applications in electronics 69
3.13 OTHER TYPES 72
3.13.1 Gold (Au) nanoparticle ink 72
3.13.2 Siloxane inks 73
4 THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR CONDUCTIVE INKS
4.1 MARKET DRIVERS 73
4.2 APPLICATIONS 75
4.2.1 Current products 75
4.2.2 Advanced materials solutions 76
4.2.2.1.1 Graphene conductive inks 80
4.2.3 Applications 81
4.2.3.1 RFID 81
4.2.3.2 Smart labels 82
4.2.3.3 Printable sensors 83
4.2.3.4 Printed batteries 83
4.2.3.5 Printable antennas 85
4.2.3.6 In-mold electronics 86
4.2.3.7 Printed transistors 87
4.3 MARKETS FOR CONDUCTIVE INKS 89
4.3.1 WEARABLE ELECTRONICS AND IOT 92
4.3.1.1 Market drivers and trends 92
4.3.1.2 Applications 97
4.3.1.2.1 Transparent conductive films 97
4.3.1.2.2 Printable sensors 102
4.3.1.2.2.1 Graphene 104
4.3.1.2.3 Electroactive polymers (EAPs) 106
4.3.1.2.4 Wearable gas sensors 107
4.3.1.2.5 Wearable strain sensors 108
4.3.1.2.6 Wearable tactile sensors 108
4.3.1.2.7 Industrial monitoring 109
4.3.1.2.8 Military 110
4.3.1.2.9 3D printed electronics 110
4.3.1.3 Global market size 2015-2027 111
4.3.2 CLOTHING AND APPAREL 115
4.3.2.1 Market drivers and trends 115
4.3.2.2 Applications 118
4.3.2.2.1 Smart clothing 118
4.3.2.2.2 Stretchable inks 122
4.3.2.2.3 Conductive yarns 123
4.3.2.2.4 Conductive coatings 123
4.3.2.2.5 Smart helmets 126
4.3.2.2.6 Solar energy harvesting textiles 126
4.3.2.3 Global market size 2015-2027 128
4.3.3 HEALTHCARE (WEARABLES AND BIOSENSORS) 132
4.3.3.1 Market drivers and trends 132
4.3.3.2 Applications 135
4.3.3.2.1 Glucose strip sensors 140
4.3.3.2.2 Skin sensors 141
4.3.3.2.3 Nanomaterials-based devices 141
4.3.3.2.4 Patch-type skin sensors 145
4.3.3.2.5 Skin temperature monitoring 148
4.3.3.2.6 Hydration sensors 149
4.3.3.2.7 Wearable sweat sensors 150
4.3.3.2.8 UV patches 152
4.3.3.2.9 Smart footwear 154
4.3.3.3 Global market size 2015-2027 154
4.3.4 RFID 156
4.3.4.1 Applications 156
4.3.4.1.1 Smart labels 159
4.3.4.2 Global market size 2015-2027 160
4.3.5 ENERGY STORAGE AND CONVERSION 162
4.3.5.1 Market drivers and trends 162
4.3.5.2 Photovoltaics (PV) 164
4.3.5.2.1 Conductive pastes 164
4.3.5.2.2 Silver nanoparticle inks 165
4.3.5.3 Flexible and stretchable printed batteries 165
4.3.5.4 Flexible and stretchable supercapacitors 167
4.3.5.5 Stretchable piezoelectric energy harvesting 170
4.3.5.6 Stretchable triboelectric energy harvesting 171
4.3.5.7 Global market size 2015-2027 172
4.3.6 OTHER MARKETS 175
4.3.6.1 AUTOMOTIVE 175
4.3.6.1.1 Conductive pastes for automotive glass 175
4.3.6.1.1.1 Laser transfer printing 175
4.3.6.1.2 Displays 176
4.3.6.2 FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS 176
4.3.6.2.1 Flexible LCDs 177
4.3.6.2.2 Flexible OLEDs (FOLED) 178
4.3.6.2.3 Flexible AMOLED 180
4.3.6.2.4 Flexible electrophoretic displays 182
4.3.6.3 OLED FLEXIBLE LIGHTING 182
4.3.6.4 IN-MOLD ELECTRONICS 184
4.3.6.5 PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS 185
4.3.6.5.1 Conductive interfaces and Out-of-Plane Interconnects 187
4.3.6.5.2 Conductive coatings for shielding 188
4.3.6.6 TRANSISTORS 188
5 COMPANY PROFILES 189-237 (105 company profiles)
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Evolution of wearable devices, 2011-2017 20
Table 2: Advanced materials for printable, flexible and stretchable sensors and Electronics-Advantages and disadvantages 27
Table 3: Sheet resistance (RS) and transparency (T) values for transparent conductive oxides and alternative materials for transparent conductive electrodes (TCE) 28
Table 4: Companies developing metal nanoparticles for applications in printable, flexible and stretchable electronics 30
Table 5: Markets, main applications and market revenues for conductive inks 32
Table 6: Typical conductive ink formulation 34
Table 7: Characteristics of analog printing processes for conductive inks 39
Table 8: Characteristics of digital printing processes for conductive inks 40
Table 9: Properties of CNTs and comparable materials 54
Table 10: Companies developing carbon nanotubes for applications in printable, flexible and stretchable electronics 59
Table 11: Types of flexible conductive polymers, properties and applications 63
Table 12: Properties of graphene 66
Table 13: Companies developing graphene for applications in printable, flexible and stretchable electronics 70
Table 14: Market drivers for printable, flexible and stretchable conductive inks 73
Table 15: Printable electronics products 75
Table 16: Comparative properties of conductive inks 76
Table 17: Applications in conductive inks by type and benefits thereof 77
Table 18: Applications in flexible and stretchable batteries, by nanomaterials type and benefits thereof 84
Table 19: Price comparison of thin-film transistor (TFT) electronics technology 88
Table 20: Conductive inks in the flexible and stretchable electronics market 2017-2027 revenue forecast (million $), by ink types 91
Table 21: Market drivers for conductive inks for wearables and IoT 92
Table 22: Transparent conductive switches-PEDOT 98
Table 23: Comparison of ITO replacements 98
Table 24: Applications in printable, flexible and stretchable sensors, by advanced materials type and benefits thereof 100
Table 25: Graphene properties relevant to application in sensors 104
Table 26: Global market for wearable electronics, 2015-2020, by application, billions $ . 111
Table 27: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in wearables and IoT, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 114
Table 28: Market drivers for conductive inks in electronic clothing and apparel 115
Table 29: Applications in textiles, by advanced materials type and benefits thereof 119
Table 30: Applications and benefits of graphene in textiles and apparel 124
Table 31: Global market for smart clothing and apparel, 2014-2021, units and revenues (US$) 128
Table 32: Global smart clothing, interactive fabrics and apparel market 129
Table 33: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in clothing and apparel, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 132
Table 34: Market drivers for conductive inks in medical and healthcare sensors and wearables 132
Table 35: Wearable medical device products and stage of development 136
Table 36: Applications in flexible and stretchable health monitors, by advanced materials type and benefits thereof 142
Table 37: Potential addressable market for smart textiles and wearables in medical and healthcare 153
Table 38: Opportunities for advanced materials in printed electronics 156
Table 39: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in RFID, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 160
Table 40: Market drivers for conductive inks in energy storage and conversion 161
Table 41: Applications in flexible and stretchable batteries, by materials type and benefits thereof 165
Table 42: Potential market size for printable batteries 171
Table 43: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in energy storage and conversion, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 173
Table 44: Applications in flexible and stretchable circuit boards, by advanced materials type and benefits thereof 184
Table 45: Price comparison of thin-film transistor (TFT) electronics technology 185
Table 46: Price comparison of thin-film transistor (TFT) electronics technology 188
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Evolution of electronics 20
Figure 2: Wove Band 23
Figure 3: Wearable graphene medical sensor 25
Figure 4: Applications timeline for organic and printed electronics 26
Figure 5: Revenues for silver flake conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 45
Figure 6: Silver nanocomposite ink after sintering and resin bonding of discrete electronic components 46
Figure 7: Flexible silver nanowire wearable mesh 49
Figure 8: Revenues for silver nanoparticles/nanowire conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 49
Figure 9: Copper based inks on flexible substrate 51
Figure 10: Revenues for copper conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 52
Figure 11: Revenues for copper nanoparticle conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 53
Figure 12: Schematic of single-walled carbon nanotube 57
Figure 13: Stretchable SWNT memory and logic devices for wearable electronics 58
Figure 14: Revenues for CNT conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 60
Figure 15: Revenues for conductive polymers, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 65
Figure 16: Graphene layer structure schematic 68
Figure 17: Flexible graphene touch screen 68
Figure 18: Vorbeck Materials conductive ink products 69
Figure 19: Foldable graphene E-paper 70
Figure 20: Revenues for graphene conductive ink, 2015-2027 (millions USD) 72
Figure 21: BGT Materials graphene ink product 81
Figure 22: Flexible RFID tag 82
Figure 23: Enfucell Printed Battery 85
Figure 24: Graphene printed antenna 86
Figure 25: Printed antennas for aircraft 86
Figure 26: Stretchable material for formed an in-molded electronics 87
Figure 27: Wearable patch with a skin-compatible, pressure-sensitive adhesive 87
Figure 28: Thin film transistor incorporating CNTs 88
Figure 29: Conductive inks in the printed and flexible electronics market 2015-2027 revenue forecast (million $), by end user market 90
Figure 30: Conductive inks in the printed and flexible electronics market 2015-2027 revenue forecast (million $), by ink types 91
Figure 31: Panasonic CNT stretchable Resin Film 100
Figure 32: C2Sense flexible sensor 104
Figure 33: Wearable gas sensor 108
Figure 34: BeBop Sensors Marcel Modular Data Gloves 109
Figure 35: BeBop Sensors Smart Helmet Sensor System 109
Figure 36: Torso and Extremities Protection (TEP) system 110
Figure 37: Global market for wearable electronics, 2015-2020, by application, billions $ 111
Figure 38: Global transparent conductive electrodes market forecast by materials type, 2012-2025, millions $ 113
Figure 39: Global market size for conductive ink in wearables and IoT 2015-2027 114
Figure 40: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in wearables and IoT, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 115
Figure 41: Omniphobic-coated fabric 119
Figure 42: Conductive yarns 123
Figure 43: Work out shirt incorporating ECG sensors, flexible lights and heating elements 126
Figure 44: Schematic illustration of the fabrication concept for textile-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) made by sewing textile electrodes onto cloth or paper 127
Figure 45: Global smart clothing and apparel market 2014-2021 revenue forecast (million $) 129
Figure 46 Global smart clothing, interactive fabrics and apparel sales by market segment, 2016 130
Figure 47: Global market size for conductive ink in clothing and apparel 2015-2027 131
Figure 48: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in clothing and apparel, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 131
Figure 49: Connected human body 135
Figure 50: Flexible, lightweight temperature sensor 136
Figure 51: Prototype ECG sensor patch 140
Figure 52: Graphene-based E-skin patch 141
Figure 53: Wearable bio-fluid monitoring system for monitoring of hydration 144
Figure 54: Smart mouth guard 144
Figure 55: Smart e-skin system comprising health-monitoring sensors, displays, and ultra flexible PLEDs 146
Figure 56: Graphene medical patch 147
Figure 57: TempTraQ wearable wireless thermometer 148
Figure 58: Mimo baby monitor 148
Figure 59: Nanowire skin hydration patch 149
Figure 60: Wearable sweat sensor 150
Figure 61: GraphWear wearable sweat sensor 151
Figure 62: My UV Patch 152
Figure 63: Overview layers of L’Oreal skin patch 153
Figure 64: Global market size for conductive ink in healthcare 2015-2027 154
Figure 65: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in healthcare, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 155
Figure 66: Flexible RFID tag 155
Figure 67: Graphene printed antenna 157
Figure 68: Printed antennas for aircraft 158
Figure 69: Global market size for conductive ink in RFID 2015-2027 160
Figure 70: The market for conductive inks in RFID (retail), by conductive ink type, 2018-2027. 161
Figure 71: Energy harvesting textile 163
Figure 72: Printed 1.5V battery 165
Figure 73: Energy densities and specific energy of rechargeable batteries 167
Figure 74: Stretchable graphene supercapacitor 168
Figure 75: Enfucell Printed Battery 168
Figure 76: StretchSense Energy Harvesting Kit 169
Figure 77: LG Chem Heaxagonal battery 169
Figure 78: Demand for thin film, flexible and printed batteries 2015, by market 172
Figure 79: Demand for thin film, flexible and printed batteries 2027, by market 173
Figure 80: The market for nanomaterials-based conductive inks in energy storage, by conductive ink type, 2018-2027, conservative estimate 174
Figure 81: Flexible LCD 176
Figure 82: “Full ActiveTM Flex” 177
Figure 83: FOLED schematic 178
Figure 84: Foldable display 179
Figure 85: Stretchable AMOLED 180
Figure 86: LGD 12.3” FHD Automotive OLED 180
Figure 87: LECTUM® display 181
Figure 88: LG OLED flexible lighting panel 182
Figure 89: Flexible OLED incorporated into automotive headlight 182
Figure 90: Stretchable material for formed an in-molded electronics 183
Figure 91: Wearable patch with a skin-compatible, pressure-sensitive adhesive 184
Figure 92: Thin film transistor incorporating CNTs 185
Figure 93: Thin film transistor incorporating CNTs 188