Welcome Lady Gaga of Materials
Lady Gaga has the most followers on twitter. And graphene has the most followers today in condensed matter physics, even in materials. Definitely, graphene has become the lady gaga of materials after winning The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010. Lady Gaga recently released a new song “Born this way”, saying she is born a superstar.
My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
I’m beautiful in my way
Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was Born This Way
Is graphene a real superstar? Then what’s the next album?
Some reports about graphene:
The 10 strangest facts about graphene
Nokias future super material
EU: Graphene flagship
Why Graphene Won Scientists the Nobel Prize
Graphene technology moves closer
In fairy tales, third place is often the best: it’s usually the third casket that contains the treasure, and the third child who finds fame and fortune. And so it may be for graphene, the third and most recently discovered form of “new carbon”. Last year, graphene was the subject of around 3000 research papers and more than 400 patent applications. One of the world’s largest steel producers in Korean POSCO announced partnership with XG Sciences to advance graphene manufacturing recently. And companies ranging from IBM to Samsung are testing graphene electronics. The hype over graphene has reached such a pitch that a casual follower might wonder why it hasn’t conquered the technological world already.
“I’m beautiful in my way.” She is beautiful in her own way! Does everybody like Lady Gaga? Not really. So how can a miracle material satisfy all needs? No way. Although graphene has two predecessors to learn from about fabrication and commercialization, it still has its own problem.
First, how to mass-producing the graphene? The most available graphene product in market is graphene sheets. Because composite-quality graphene has the potential to be a lot cheaper, it is able to compete with current carbon nanotube and other materials. Although much of the early excitement around graphene centred on its semiconducting properties and exotic physics, the tons of material now being manufactured will not end up in advanced devices such as transistors. For large-area and high-quality graphene using in high-tech applications, people have successfully grown graphene on metal catalyst but transfer process is still a nightmare. Epitaxial growth on SiC seems to solve this problem, but it is too expensive. We are working to manufacture wafer-scale high-quality graphene.
Second, what is outlet of graphene? The reality is that these applications are still niche, says a senior scientist with Dow Chemical’s Ventures and Business Development Group in Midland, Michigan. As you can see in the following figure, graphene has a very bright future in touch screens, supercapacitors, fuel cells, batteries, sensors, high-frequency circuits and flexible electronics. These applications have attracted the undivided attention of start-up companies, however, large chemical companies have so far taken a more conservative approach. The discrepancy between the enthusiasm of the start-up companies and the conservatism of their larger counterparts is partly a matter of scale. Even though tens of tons is orders of magnitude beyond laboratory production scales, it is also orders of magnitude below industrial chemical company scales.
“Asking graphene to compete with silicon now is like asking a 10-year-old to be a concert pianist because we’ve been giving him piano lessons for the last six years.” Graphene will have its place, but it will just take longer than people think.
Market
The global graphene-based product market value will grow to $67 million in 2015, and $675.1 million in 2020, according to BCC Research’s new report, “Graphene: Technologies, Applications, and Markets” (Report ID: AVM075A). That’s a 58.7% five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
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| Figure. Global market for graphene-based products, 2009-2020 ($ millions). SOURCE: BCC Research |
Graphene-based capacitors: The largest product segment. 67.2% 5-year CAGR, from $26 million in 2015 to $340 million in 2020.
Structured materials: Second-largest segment. 39.1% 5-yr CAGR, from $17.5 million in 2015 to $91 million in 2020.
Graphene in displays: Shooting up from a negligible value in 2015, this segment will reach $43.8 million in 2020.
Graphene-based photovoltaics (PV): 36.1% 5-yr CAGR, from $7.5 million in 2015 to $35 million in 2020.
Thermal management graphene products: 8.4% CAGR, from $15 million in 2015 to $22.5 million in 2020.
Remaining graphene-using products will make up a $1 million industry in 2015, and should hit $142.8 million in 2020 (169.7% 5-yr CAGR). The commercial market for graphene-based products was essentially nonexistent 2009-2010, but BCC expects commercially significant graphene sales to crop up before 2015. The BCC report surveys emerging graphene technologies and applications, identifies significant commercial sales opportunities in the next 5-10 years, and shares quantitative estimates of potential sales.
Existing Companies
| Country |
Company |
Location |
University Affiliation |
Group |
| US |
3M |
|
|
|
| EU |
Amo GmbH |
Aachen, DE |
|
|
| US |
Angstron Materials (a Nanotek spin-off) |
Dayton, OH |
Wright State University |
I |
| EU |
Aixtron |
Herzogenrath, DE |
|
|
|
BASF |
|
|
|
|
Carben Semicon |
|
|
|
| US |
Cheaptubes |
Vermont |
|
III |
| US |
CVD Equipment Corp. |
Long Island, NY |
|
|
|
Dow Chemical |
|
|
|
| UK |
Durham Graphene Science |
Durham, UK |
Durham University |
II |
| JP |
Fujitsu Laboratories |
|
|
|
| US |
GE |
|
|
|
| US |
General Motors Corp. |
|
|
|
| US |
Graphene Devices |
|
University at Buffalo |
|
| US |
Graphene Energy |
Austin, TX |
University of Texas |
I |
| US |
Graphene Frontiers |
|
University of Pennsylvania |
|
| UK |
Graphene Industries |
Manchester, UK |
University of Manchester |
II |
| US |
Graphene Laboratories |
Reading, MA |
Columbia University |
II |
| UK |
Graphene Research |
Manchester, UK |
University of Manchester |
|
| US |
Graphene Works |
Atlanta, GA |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
II |
| EU |
Graphenea |
San Sebastián |
|
|
| CN |
Harbin Mulan Foreign Economic Trade Corp. |
|
|
HRL Laboratories |
|
|
|
| US |
IBM |
|
|
|
| US |
Intel |
|
|
|
| CN |
Jcnano |
Nanjing, Jiangsu |
Nanjing University |
I |
| CN |
Nano-Brother Lab |
Harbin, Heilongjiang |
Harbin Institute of Technology |
II |
| CN |
Nanointegris |
|
|
III |
|
Nanosperse |
|
|
|
|
Nanoteck Instruments |
|
III |
|
Nupga |
|
|
|
| IN |
Quantum Materials Corporation |
|
|
|
Reade |
|
|
|
| KR |
Samsung Electronics |
|
|
|
| CN |
Sinocarbon Materials Technology |
Taiyuan, Shanxi |
Chinese Academy of Sciences |
I |
| US |
Texas Instruments |
|
|
|
|
Unidym |
|
|
|
| US |
Vorbeck Materials Corporation |
Jessup, MD |
Princeton University |
I |
| US |
Vulvox |
Long Island, NY |
|
III |
| US |
XG Sciences |
Lansing, MI |
Michigan State University |
II |
| CN |
Xiamen knano Graphene Technology |
Xiamen, Fujian |
Huaqiao University |
|
| US |
Xolve (formerly Graphene solutions) |
Platteville, WI |
University of Wisconsin |
II |
| CN |
XP Nano Materials |
Xiamen, Fujian |
|
III |
References:
Richard Van Noorden, The trials of new carbon, Nature, 2011.
Michael Segal, Selling graphene by the ton, Nature, 2009.
Sanjay K. Aroraa, etc., Graphene SME Commercialization Strategies: A Cross-Country Comparison, 2011.
Andrew Baluch, etc., Patenting Graphene: Opportunities and Challenges, Nanotechnology Law & Business, 2008.
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