ElectriPlast - Setting the Pace in a Growing Market...

Perspective --



Progress

as Observed

in Europe:


By S.S & Craig Q.
ElectriPlast Blog Readers

Special to the ElectriPlast Blog

Electroactive Polymers to Reach 240.3 Million Pounds in 2011, BCC Research Says

January 16, 2006 -- Electroactive polymers market will reach 170 million pounds in 2006, and the market will continue to grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 7.1% and reach 240 million pounds in 2011, according to a technical market research report from Business Communications Co Inc.

Electroactive polymers comprise several groups of materials: conductive plastics, inherently conductive polymers (ICPs), inherently dissipative polymer (IDPs), and other polymers. Conductive plastics will reach 168 million lb in 2006. By the end of the forecast period, these plastics will reach 235 million lb at an AAGR of 6.9%. ICPs will grow to 5.3 million lb in 2011-up from 2.6 million lb in 2006-an AAGR of 15.7%. The growth for low dielectric polymers is so small that a measurement of AAGR would be meaningless.

Electroactive polymers are at the forefront of several new, important and far-reaching technologies. They require a detailed and up-to-date assessment of their impact on the technologically driven electronics industry. Although conductive plastics mimic the conductivity of metals, there are generally compromises that have to be made in terms of their processability, performance and economies of production. These factors have driven the search for alternative "conductive plastics" such as ICPs and IDPs. Low dielectric polymer development is still in its infancy and is primarily targeted for flexible electronics.

Traditional conductive plastics utilize standard fillers, most notably carbon black and carbon fibers, to provide both ESD protection and/or EMI shielding, while inherently conductive polymers (ICPs) compete in the ESD market but are moving ahead, albeit in very small volumes, into advanced electronic applications such as:

• organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) for flat panel displays,
• anti-corrosion coatings,
• sensors,
• solar cells,
• textile/fabrics,
• capacitors
• and potentially in organic transistors and flexible circuitry.

Low dielectric polymers, another aspect of electroactive polymers, are being touted for the film base for these flexible circuits.

In addition to the continuing need to solve technological issues, the high prices of ICPs are a major deterrent in their commercial development. Conductive plastic growth appears to be solid over the next five years and well into the next decade even though some relatively small specialty applications have been replaced by ICPs.

The major ICPs are polythiophenes, polyanilines, and, polypyrroles and the few major ICP producing companies are all based off-shore consisting of Bayer/Lanxess and Ormecon (Germany), and Panipol (Finland), while the major conductive plastics companies are based in North America led by LNP, Noveon, Polyone and RTP.


[ElectriPlast Blog Publisher's Note: Global Forecast of the Electroactive Polymer Market, through 2011 (Million lbs) Source: BCC Inc (NE Asia Online).]

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Chemists work on plastic promise


The following story was featured in BBC News, Science/Nature - Submitted: 20 March 2006 -- the overall gist: Chemists are still working hard to either mimic, or possibly create an enhanced version of Integral Technologies already patented conductive polymer material known as: ElectriPlast

By Jonathan Fildes BBC News science and technology reporter


The team has already used the polymer to print transistors -- A new plastic that could rival silicon as the material of choice for some electronic devices has been developed.

The invention could eventually slash the cost of flat panel screens and bring electronic paper into common use.

The new material can also be laid down using simple printing techniques rather than the expensive and elaborate methods used to process silicon.

The plastic, reported in the journal Nature Materials, is the work of a US-UK industrial and academic team.

The researchers told the journal that until now, the speed at which polymers conduct electricity has been too slow for them to fully challenge silicon-based materials.

However, the team claims, this barrier can now be overcome using some clever chemistry.

Chemical tweaks

The new material is an organic polymer, a class of substances that are used to make everything from bin bags to solar panels. They are also used in some electronic devices already.

In 2004, electronics giant Philips announced production of a flexible display using organic polymers, while other companies such as Cambridge Display Technology use them to manufacture organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

However, the performance of the plastics has always made them second choice for more mainstream applications. The new semi-conducting polythiophene could change all that.

It has been tweaked by chemists to alter its molecular structure, meaning it is more efficient at carrying an electrical current and can also be dissolved in a solution to produce an ink.

These modifications give the material its edge over traditional silicon which must be processed at high temperatures and in vacuums. This is not only slow and expensive but produces a large amount of waste.

Instead, the new polymer can be printed using traditional inkjet printers or techniques similar to those used to produce magazines and wallpaper.

This means it can easily be printed on large flexible surfaces, making it attractive for use in electronic paper where rigid silicon cannot be used.

Specific jobs

The team has already used the technique to print transistors, a key building block of electronic circuits.

The working devices are six times faster than any polymer transistors previously reported, and are similar in performance to the silicon used in flat panel screens.

The team behind the discovery believes the material will be used in areas where silicon struggles to compete.

"Initial applications might be in simple, disposable electronic items, followed by small reflective displays for PDAs or e-paper," said Iain McCulloch, a senior project manager at UK-based Merck Chemicals and one of the authors of the paper.

"Further away are large, high-resolution displays," he told the BBC News website.

However, it is unlikely that the material will ever rival silicon in the manufacture of high-speed computer chips.

The core of all modern computers, these require ultra-pure materials and precision design that is simply not achievable with these polymers.

"We are still orders of magnitude away," Iain McCulloch admits.

[ElectriPlast Blog Publisher's Note: The research team--referenced above-- incorporated members from Merck Chemicals in Southampton, UK; Palo Alto Research Center, California; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University; and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory.]