Fast growth rate forecast for carbon nanotubes

The market for multi-walled carbon nanotubes, used in polymers, accounts for nearly all of the market, and is expected to reach $161m in 2010. By 2015, this figure will have risen to $866m, BCC believes.

But the single-walled market is expected to take off in the same period, rising from $250,000 in 2010 to $125m in 2015. The few-walled segment is valued at an estimated $6m in 2010, and will reach nearly $63m in 2015.

BCC said: “Among the numerous categories in the evolving field of newly synthesized nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes are perhaps among the most dynamic and undergoing the most rapid pace of development.”

It said new producers are now capable of offering the materials in commercial-scale quantities – kilogrammes, tonnes, and even hundreds of tonnes, depending on the specific grade – at more affordable prices.

In the polymers market, demand for carbon nanotubes is spurred by the promise of increased lightweight-strength and exceptional electrically-conductive characteristics, for use in automobiles, sports equipment, and wind turbines.

BCC said further impetus is expected by the possibility of penetrating the aerospace sector. Breakthroughs in other matrix composites as well as smart network sensors are among other strong market contenders.

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