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SWCNTs Still Waiting on a Commercial Need for Take-off, Finds IDTechEx Report
The MWCNT market is booming, driven primarily by the role in lithium-ion batteries. MWCNTs are produced in the order of thousands of tonnes per annum, soon to be 10s of thousands, whereas SWCNTs are still <100 tonnes; SWCNTs are >1,000 $/kg as opposed to <40 $/kg for MWCNTs; MWCNTs are seeing major market entrants and capacity expansions, whereas the SWCNT market looks much like it did years ago.
IDTechEx has released their latest report "Carbon Nanotubes 2022-2032: Market, Technology, Players". This study technical provides in depth analysis on CNTs based on primary interviews and extensive experience in the field.
So, where might SWCNTs find success? This can be broadly broken down into two areas:
1. Here SWCNTs can displace other additives typically by offering lower loadings (that don't interfere with processing or worsen the parent material properties) and improved performance. IDTechEx has observed success in colored polymer gelcoats, temperature-resistant fluoroelastomer O-rings, and more. This is likely to continue but given the price and scale SWCNTs will be competing in niche nanocomposite polymer and coating applications only.
2. Here, SWCNTs will be adopted because they bring something unparalleled in the field. The two areas to watch here will be in electronics (mainly semiconductors and sensors, but also with potential in quantum computing) and energy storage.
The active companies have stayed largely the same over recent years. The largest producer is OCSiAl who claims a 90tpa capacity in
Russia , which brings considerable geopolitical complications and are planning a
EUR 300m facility in
Luxembourg . OCSiAl announced in early 2022 that they received the go-ahead for this new facility, and it will be operational by 2025. OCSiAl did raise a notable amount of money in 2021 in which they claimed the investors valued the company at approximately
$2 billion and that energy storage applications are the major driver. Of note to many in the industry was the investment made by Daikin Industries in 2021, this was the first of Daikin's CVC investments in a chemical start-up; it is noted that they have been collaborating since 2018 and they have shared patents surrounding electrochemical devices.
Beyond this, there are several other manufacturers of smaller sizes, two of note come from Japan . Zeon Corporation has been active here for many years. They use the "super growth" method, first developed at AIST back in 2004, to produce a product called ZEONANO with a claimed purity of >99% which is higher than competitors. Meijo Nano Carbon used what is called an eDIPS process to produce high-quality nanotubes. Both companies have various applications, but again energy storage remains a high priority and common target. There are many companies beyond this, including several that are vertically integrated to produce their own SWCNTs in-house for an end-use application. A full company and production overview can be found in the market report.
As can be seen, there is still a lot of hype and market potential associated with SWCNTs, but the key application has still to be found and true commercial success is anything but guaranteed.
For more information see IDTechEx's latest report "Carbon Nanotubes 2022-2032: Market, Technology, Players". This report includes granular 10-year volume and value forecasts segmented by end-use applications for both MWCNTs and SWCNTs, player profiles, and benchmarking studies.
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com .
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