Since its discovery in 2004, Graphene has been a star material for many years in the fields of physics, chemistry and materials science. In 2014, graphene industry news continued, and the first round of commercial application announcements had sparked a wave of waves. The industry witnessed a large number of investment and acquisition activities. In recent years, these graphene companies and research institutes have shown promising prospects for graphene battery technology despite a number of studies and experiments. However, it will take some time before they can be produced on a large scale and at a reasonable speed. The current market is still researching. Interest is dominant and energy storage and composite materials are the main directions. More companies will benefit from intermediate products and avoid the risk of end-user uncertainty. It is still unrealistic to expect graphene to significantly provide power battery energy density and solve the "mileage anxiety" of electric vehicles.

Research and investment fever unabated

Electric vehicles and renewable energy are hailed as the best solutions for dealing with climate change, requiring cheaper, better batteries for widespread use. Small to large-scale laboratories, start-up companies, large companies such as GE, IBM, and Toyota are all developing R&D to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, but the challenges are enormous. Graphene is currently the thinnest, hardest, most powerful nano-material with the highest electrical and thermal conductivity. Graphene is called "black gold" and is the "king of new materials", which can help the development of supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries. The data show that the addition of graphene material can increase the capacity by more than 5 times with the same volume of the capacitor. However, the addition of graphene to the electrode of the lithium battery can greatly improve its conductivity.

The graphene industry has always been expected to have stable and divergent long-term applications, but in reality there are few “killer applications” and lack of products with unique value and first-mover advantage. Therefore, the commercialization process remains like an alternative game. At present, the main applications are limited to energy storage, composite materials, functional inks, electronics, graphite, etc. The value positioning, competitive landscape, technical standards, and possible future manufacturing technologies of graphene vary in different market segments, leading to a market In spite of the fragmentation, suppliers have also been pursuing a phased market strategy, but the market's multiple subsets are too finely dispersed, which is bound to drag down long-term prices. It is worth noting that the price of carbon nanotubes competing with graphene is also under pressure.

Today's commercial investors have more realistic expectations and show concern for composite materials, energy storage applications and intermediate products. Commercial research is not easy or rapid commercialization. Take many nanomaterials or component batteries as an example, the initial investment is too expensive to be able to launch profitable applications as soon as possible. Researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Illinois said that “the development of this kind of battery is a significant challenge at present, and there are many problems. The decline in oil and natural gas prices also inhibits the demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy. There is a lot of competition with it. Big risks and difficulties."

James Tour, Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering at Rice University, said that his research team has created a series of scientific research projects, including carbon nanotubes and graphene, that can significantly increase energy storage efficiency. Xidex, based in Texas, and Graphite Graphite, Israel, are developing products based on Rice's research technologies that enable smartphones to fully charge batteries in minutes. "There are three more distances from commercialization." The road to the year is going,” James Tour said.

In recent years, some graphene companies and research institutes have conducted many researches and experiments on graphene battery technology. Researchers at Korea's Gwangju Institute of Technology are studying a new type of graphene battery technology. Research shows that this new type of battery can reduce the charging time of electric vehicles to 16 seconds without affecting energy density. Researchers at Nanotek Instruments of Ohio, USA, used a feature that lithium ions can shuttle between graphene surfaces and electrodes quickly and extensively, developing a new type of energy storage device that can reduce charging time from the past few hours. Less than a minute. The new energy storage device is called a graphene surface lithium ion exchange cell, or simply surface-mediated cell (SMCS), which combines the advantages of a lithium battery and a supercapacitor, while having the characteristics of high power density and high energy storage density. The European Union has invested 1 billion euros for more than a decade in researching graphene and other 2D materials. The South Korean and British governments have invested at least US$40 million and £24 million in research over the past two years. Investment in graphene is also very hot investment. According to IDTechEx, over the past few years, private graphene companies have invested about 60 million U.S. dollars.

Global graphene market size

Unit: Million Dollars

Source: IDTechEx

The above graphene study looks very promising, but it still takes some time to produce it on a large scale and at a reasonable speed.

Excessive production capacity

As the first step of the application, the current application of graphene in the industry is mainly in the touch screen of mobile phones, that is, to replace the existing ITO target, and Samsung has recently produced related samples - mobile phones using graphene materials are free to Bending, punching, and longer standby time, clearer screen resolution. The published graphene production capacity in the world is estimated to be nearly 500 tons/year, and there are more than 20 “players” in the market. Although the base number is not large, the production capacity is already in excess after the first stage of the demand period. This is obviously blind, suppliers assume risks, and the market is still not ready to absorb production capacity.

The development of the graphene industry in China is on the rise, and the production capacity is huge. Many suppliers have announced the availability of large quantities of graphene nanosheets and CVD graphene. Chinese companies have applied for more than 2000 graphene-related patents. At the same time, South Korea’s Samsung Group has strong interest in graphene, which is the largest patent holder in the field of carbon nanotubes. The LG Group is using its own experience in the graphene industry, particularly in the area of ​​carbon nanotubes, to create a local supply chain. .

On the other hand, industrial investment in graphene continues. A total of about 150 million U.S. dollars has been invested in new graphene companies, and the investment is spread over at least 20 companies. The portfolio is also diverse, including venture capital and strategic investments in different industries such as steel manufacturing (eg Posco), graphite mining (eg Focus Graphite, Canada), consumer electronics (eg Samsung), chemistry and materials (eg Hanwha). And DSM), oil and gas (such as Repsol).

How big is the potential of graphene?

Graphene is often compared to carbon nanotubes because they have many similar material properties and both are often hype.

Carbon nanotubes have been found to be acceptable fillers in many fields, such as electrostatically sprayable plastic body parts, dissipative electrostatically charged plastic fuel tubes/systems, and lithium-ion batteries. Overall, China, South Korea, the United States, and Europe are expected to have capacities of 2,300-2,600 tons per year.

Graphene industry can learn from carbon nanotubes. However, the persistent challenge of carbon nanotubes is that the clusters are difficult to disperse. Early scientific research results show that graphene is more easily dispersible, which is an opportunity and the biggest difference from carbon nanotubes.

Graphene can be produced in the form of a thin film (eg, graphene CVD) for a group of independent markets such as transparent conductive films, but competition in this market is fierce, whether it is a current solution or a better alternative. Taking into account the flat performance of graphene, IDTechEx expects that out of a small market for touch screens, graphene is currently very difficult to achieve in other market segments.

Although it is too early to make it clear, some early signs indicate that graphene may pose lower health and safety risks than carbon nanotubes. There is also a mountain of work to be done in scientific research. Once it is proven that the hazard risk is low, graphene is expected to accelerate development. In addition, graphene seems to be better at taking a series of functions at the same time in the main material and, in turn, as a differentiator can develop multi-function, which is also the difference with the existing graphite powder, carbon black and so on.

2015 and later market outlook

Now, due to uneven quality and suppliers, the price of graphene in the market is not uniform, but overall, the average price will decline. In 2015, many profitable market segments will see graphene, composites as additive materials, and (long-term) energy storage devices, etc. It is expected that the market will be at the raw material level and the market size will be 2014-2024. In the ten years of the year, it will increase from US$20 million to US$390 million.

For graphene, energy storage is a very attractive target market. Super capacitor is a high-growth industry. IDTechEx expects this market to have a compound annual growth rate of 30% over the next decade. Higher specific surface area (ie, the total area per unit mass of material) and early laboratory results allow graphene to create value, but there are technical barriers that prevent surface integrity and in-plane conduction holding. At the same time, activated carbon still occupies a dominant position and its price is as low as $5/kg. However, graphene's attention and research work are undiminished and it is expected that the market will grow rapidly after 2019. Several products targeted at the lithium-ion market have been introduced. Due to the diversity of chemical reactions and the design issues of lithium-ion batteries, the performance benchmark is still difficult to formulate.

The transparent conductive film market is also a growing huge market. ITO film will always be the mainstream solution for the market, and mainstream companies will increase productivity in this area. However, the market is also changing. The demand for ultra-low sheet resistance, mechanical strength and lower prices will attract new entrants. Many alternatives are emerging, including silver nanowires, wire mesh, PEDOT, and carbon nanotubes. Graphene can also be used as a transparent conductor, but its performance is best matched with the ITO film, unless the production technology has significant innovation, otherwise it cannot benefit from the industry trend.

The composite industry is large and fragmented, and the demand is very small. In this area, graphene can provide value as an additive material. For example, graphene nanosheets improve electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, impermeability, mechanical strength, and the like.

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