Thin Film Materials and its Applications

Source: www.uspvmc.org

A thin film is a layer consisting of materials with thickness ranging from a nanometer to several micrometers. Thin films are mainly used in optical coating and semiconductor devices.

The very close application of thin film coating is found in the mirrors which we used in our house. As we can see that a piece of glass is coated with the thin metal from backside to form a reflective surface. Similarly, two way mirrors are produced by using a very thin coating of <50 nanometers in thickness.

Optical coating can be improved in its functionalities by using many layers of thin film coating, each having different thickness and refractive index.

Know more about thin film market to get latest trends.

Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric thin films are used to produce computer memory chips. Other applications of thin film include pharma sector, thin-film batteries, and dye-sensitized solar cells. Thin film is referred as a process manufacturing and also as an element of thermal print head.

Ceramic Thin Films:

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/advanced-functional-material-1221.html

Ceramic films are high in hardness and are chemically inert. These properties are useful in protection of materials against corrosion, oxidation and wearing. Ceramic thin films are widely used in many applications. Also, it is used as a coating on cutting tools. This helps to the coating tools to increase its life by many years.

Research is going on a new type of thin film inorganic oxide materials called as amorphous heavy-metal multicomponent oxides. This new type is used to produce transparent transistors which are stable, inexpensive and eco friendly.

Thin-film photovoltaic cells

Thin films require less production cost due to reduced raw materials. Also, capital cost, transportation cost and energy cost is less in case of thin films. This helps thin films to be used to reduce cost of photovoltaic systems. It is mostly used in the latest generations of photovoltaic cell.

Thin-film batteries

Thin films are used very creatively to produce batteries with specialized applications. Here solid state lithium polymers are used. Batteries of any shape and size can be produced which are placed directly onto chips. Flexible batteries can be made by printing thin films onto plastics, paper or thin metal foil.

Source: www.nrel.gov

Governments across the world are aware about adoption of environment friendly technologies. Countries like the U.S., U.K., India and Germany are offering fiscal incentives and schemes to encourage use of renewable energy. Due to increasing awareness about climate change and global warming, solar energy industry becomes of prime importance.  To supplement this, thin film energy offers solutions which are inexpensive, effective, and reliable and eco friendly. 

The way at which miniaturization is offered so easily by the thin film materials becomes one of the important factor to increase utilization of micro components for MEMS industry.

Thin Film Materials vs. Conventional Film materials

When we consider the efficiency offered by the two types, conventional or crystalline PV cells are much better than thin film materials. Crystalline PV cells have efficiency of around 24% while that of the thin film ranges between 7-20%. This is one of the restraining factors for this market.

Thin film market is growing at a healthy CAGR and is expected to grow up to $10,250 million by 2018. Europe has the most no. of end users for this market which makes it to dominate the global market for thin film materials. North America and Asia follows the suit after Europe.  

Advantages:

Flexibility and ability to work under low light

Market Overview:

Mainly, three types of thin film materials can be identified as amorphous silica (a-Si), Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS).

The factors identified as the major demand drivers for growth of thin film material market are listed below:

•  Advancement in technology
• High demand from current & emerging applications
• Increased demand for efficiency & miniaturization
• Govt. policies & Subsidies.

The restraining factors for this market are low conversion efficiency and huge investment required in R&D operations.

Source: www.asdreports.com

The thin film material market is anticipated to increase at a healthy rate annually, to reach $10,250 million, by 2018. It is primarily used in MEMS, photovoltaic solar cells, semiconductor, electrical, and optical coating. The photovoltaic solar cells industry is growing rapidly, while the MEMS industry is experiencing steady growth.

The global market for thin film materials is spread across the globe from Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific to the Middle East and Africa.  Countries like U.S. Germany, France, Italy, China, India and Japan are the major market.

Applications:

• Thin film technology is used in diverse fields of applications such as
•  packaging (aluminum coated film),
• electronics (semiconductors, insulators, ICs),
• manufacturing of optics (reflective & anti-reflective glasses) and
• Contemporary arts,
• It is also used in some similar processes like purification of copper by electroplating

The major end-user industries for thin film market are:

• photovoltaic solar cells,
• microelectromechnical systems (MEMS),
• semiconductor,
• electrical (circuit boards) and
• Optical coating.

The major players in thin film market are

1. Anwell Solar (Hong Kong)
2. Ascent Solar (U.S.)
3.  Avancis GmbH & Co. (Germany),
4.  Cicor Group (Switzerland),
5.  First Soalr (U.S.),
6. Hanergy (China),
7.  Kaneka (Japan),
8.  Masdar PV(Germany),
9. Moser Baer(India),
10. Solar Frontier (Japan),
11. Suntech Power Co. Ltd. (China), and
12. Trony Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (China)

It is very essential to implement most effective growth strategy in the dynamic market environment so analyzing various marketing trends will help to gain competitive edge.

Get the latest market research report @
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/thin-film-material.asp

Biotech Traits of Oilseed and Grain Seed- Forecast of the fast growing market to 2018

Source: www.cargill.co.id

As with the increasing population, the demand for the food is also increasing across the globe. And so seeds and other agricultural products are not the exception. The demand for the oilseed and grain seed is increasing day by day. The market for these products is increasing in terms of value. The research report by MarketsandMarkets estimates the global market for oilseed and grain seeds to reach $64,113 million by 2018.

The market is growing at a CAGR of 12.0% from 2013 to 2018.

The key players in oilseed market are:

• Mosanto (U.S.),
• DuPont (U.S.),
• Syngenta (Switzerland), and
• Dow AgroSciences (U.S.)

There are two different approaches to look toward increased demand of biotechnilogically modified seeds.

a) As an end user, everybody expect to get the best quality food which would be economic and high in nutritional value.

b) At the same time, farmers expect to get seeds which can deliver higher yield and have biotech-enhanced food with advanced traits. This will help farmers to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the farm field. Biotechnologically advanced seeds can deliver higher rate of return to the farmers with improved quality of products. These foods can meet the demand- supply gap in the market by providing good quality seeds in large amount.

New innovations in the field of biotechnology can be seen across the world. Every major agricultural & biotech company is investing in research and development activities to make products more and more advanced.

The picture below illustrate the Soybean Process Flow:

Source: www.wilmar-international.com

 Market Analysis:

The market segmentation is done on geographical basis such as Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. North America being the largest oilseed market with 80% revenue coming from the U.S. At the same time Latin America is the fastest growing market where Brazil holds maximum no. of market share in 2012.

Asia-Pacific is the market leader in the world for Rice and cotton. China tops in this market with India being second. North America and Europe is considered to be the major producers of corn and oilseed. These seeds have special traits like herbicide resistance, insecticide resistance and some other useful traits.

The global market for oilseed is growing at a fast rate. According to a market research conducted by MarketsandMarkets, it is estimated that oilseed and green seed market of $ 33,302.1 million in 2012. As this trend is expected to be continued in the coming years, the market will reach to $64,113.0 million in 2018. From 2012 to 2018 the market will grow at a CAGR of 12.0%.

North America, China, India, Brazil are the important countries for this market. North America is the largest market for oilseed and grain seeds and will continue to lead the market in next future. The major players are adopting new technologies to make advanced product and get competitive advantage. Looking at the different types of oilseeds, corn has the largest market share followed by soybean, in term of value.

U.S. market is largely associated with trait oriented seed where herbicide resistant seed lead the market of seed with trait followed by insect resistant trait used to protect crops.

The advances of genetic engineering are helpful to make seeds with desired trait and ignore the unnecessary trait. So applications of genetic engineering are implemented in the field of oilseed market to produce different seeds with traits like insect resistance, herbicide resistance, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, quality pollination control system etc.

Oilseed & Grain Seed: Market Revenue & Share, By Geography, 2011 - 2018 ($Million)

Source: www.marketsandmarkets.com

The Effect of Biodiesel Prices on Oilseed Markets

There is a strong relation between biodiesel production and its raw materials i.e. oilseeds. It is a matter of debate whether oilseed to be used for biodiesel production or not because a large no. of world population is still unable to get sufficient food to live life.

Source: news.agropages.com

Soybeans and Canola are used to produce biodiesel and the price of Canola is mainly responsible to decide price of end product i.e. biodiesel. Here why Soybean prices are not important is because it produces less amount of oil as compared to Canola. There is interdependence between these two so price of biodiesel must be decided accordingly so that market equilibrium should be maintained.

Oilseed crushing produces joint products-oil and meal-and this weakens the link between the biodiesel and oilseed feedstock prices. 

For more info visit @

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=1215 

Chemical, Oil & Energy Industry-Overview, Market Research& forecast : Commercial Applications of Propionic Acid

Chemical, Oil & Energy Industry-Overview, Market Research& forecast : Commercial Applications of Propionic Acid: Source: commons.wikimedia.org According to the market research report, global market for Propionic acid was near about $ 935.7 milli...

Commercial Applications of Propionic Acid in Various Sectors

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

According to the market research report, global market for Propionic acid was near about $ 935.7 million in 2012. The projected growth of this market till 2018 said that it will reach $ 1,608.8 million. 

CH₃CH₂COOH, a three-carbon carboxylic acid commonly known as Propionic acid is a colourless, clear liquid having pungent odour. It may cause irritation to human body when used with carelessness.

It is formed as a result of chemical reaction between hydrocarboxylation of ethylene in the presence of nickel carbonyl as a catalyst.

Source: www.prathista.com

Propionic acid is used as fungicide and bactericide which is used to control fungi and bacteria present in grains, poultry litter and drinking water for livestock and poultry. It is available in the liquid form which can be sprayed onto grains or grains storage areas. It is a normal component in metabolism process in the human body. Butter and cheese are the main natural sources of Propionic acid.

Propionic acid as its derivatives found its applications in food preservative, herbicides, solvents and pharmaceutical industries. It restricts growth of the bacteria and other microbes which causes food spoiling. It is also used in production of some useful propionates such as thermoplastics. Propionic acids are considered to be one of the safest additives available in the market.

Applications:

• Preservative 
• Herbicide intermediate
• Pharmaceutical intermediate
• Food preservative (calcium and sodium propionate)
• Plastics
• Plasticizers
• Cosmetics
• Anti-mold agent (ammonium propionate)
• Flavoring agent
• Dye intermediates
• Textile and rubber auxiliaries

 

Source: www.prathista.com

In the past few years, the global market for Propionic acid has seen significant growth rates and this trend will continue for the coming years. The driving demand is from the feed, grains & food preservative market.  

In Europe, the ban imposed on antibiotics & its applications since 2006, worked in favour of Propionic acid market which makes Europe as the largest market of it. Europe is still expected to have healthy demand for feed and grain preservative market.

The develop countries like the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Canada & Sweden have advanced production facilities which makes them the major exporters of Propionic acid. On the other hand, Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa, France & Spain will be major importers for the acid.

So far, developed countries are the major market for this acid but due to increasing awareness about its benefits, demand from developing markets is also increasing.

The market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 7.8 % from 2013 to 2018.

The major players in this industry are as follows:

1. BASF SE (Germany),
2. The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.),
3. Perstorp (Sweden),
4. Eastman Chemical (U.S.),
5. Niacet Corporation (U.S.)

The market study done by MarketsandMarkets analyzes the demand for 2018 market projecting the trends from 2013. The research study includes qualitative and quantitative methods and discussed major factors like market drivers, opportunities, winning strategies, challenges and threats in the market.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

The market can be segmented on the basis of applications of Propionic acid like animal feed and grain preservatives, herbicides, cellulose acetate propionate and food preservatives.  

The demand for Propionic acid from food preservative sectors is growing due to the increasing demand to shelf life of the food.

The factors which affect demand for Propionic acid are limited production capacity and lack of technological adaptations in production. 

By having acess to some of the quality market report, the marketers and investors can have better understanding of the business environment which will help them to cope up in the worst condition and to lead the business in the good market condition.

For more info visit @

http://www.prweb.com/releases/propionic-acid/derivatives-market/prweb11670648.htm

Fuel Cell Technology-European Market Overview

Source: www.wikipedia.org

A fuel cell is a device which converts chemical energy into electricity by using fuel as input. Chemical reaction takes place on between fuel and oxygen or some other oxidizing agents.  Hydrogen is mainly used as fuel but sometimes hydrocarbons like alcohols or natural gas can also be used.  

There is a major difference between fuel cell and batteries as fuel cell requires constant supply of fuel & oxygen. Fuel cell can produce electricity as long as there is fuel in it.

It took 100 years to use fuel cell on commercial basis after its invention in 1838. NASA is one of the first to use it to generate power for various devices like satellites and space capsules.

Fuels cells are used as a primary backup power for industries, commercial and residential use.  They are also used in automobiles, bikes, buses, airplanes, boats and submarines.  

Working of Fuel Cell:

Fuel cell consists of an anode and a cathode. Electrolyte is filled within it which contains electrons. When external circuit is connected to it, electrons moves from anode to cathode producing direct current. A single fuel cell produces relatively small electrical potential of 0.7 v so many cells are connected in series to produce higher electric current.

Source: www.protonex.com

There can be 40-60% of energy efficiency to use fuel cell but if generated heat is reused properly, its efficiency will increase up to 85%. Fuel cell market is growing with a good pace and is estimated to reach to 50 GW by 2020.

The technology of converting chemical energy into electrical energy through electromechanical reaction is used in fuel cells, performing functions like an engine for converting fuel into electricity without burning it.

Chemical reaction produces different by products as water, heat, nitrogen oxides etc. When hydrogen is used in fuel cell, it produces water with zero emissions. This is in synergy with the growing demand for eco friendly practices. This results into increasing demand for fuel cell devices.

The list of key players in the industry is given below:  

• AFC Energy (U.K.),
• Heliocentris (Germany),
• Topsoe (Denmark),
• Genport SRL (Italy),
• SFC Energy (Germany), and
• Ceres Power (U.K.)

Markets and Economics: 

In 2012, fuel cell industry revenues exceeded $1 billion market value worldwide, with Asian pacific countries shipping more than 3/4 of the fuel cell systems worldwide Approximately 50% of fuel cell shipments in 2010 were stationary fuel cells, up from about a third in 2009.

Source: www.marketsandmarkets.com

The four dominant producers in the Fuel Cell Industry were the

1.  United States,
2. Germany,
3. Japan and
4. South Korea.

According to aresearch report, the European fuel cell market revenue is expected to reach$613.7 million by 2018. There were 3,776 units’ shipments of fuel cells in 2012which will reach to 333,727 units by 2018. 

Europe has a target of reducing the carbon footprint by 80%. Fuel cells offer a great alternative with zero emission and clean energy source so demand for the fuel cells is increasing. However, establishing fuel cell infrastructure and commercialization of fuel cells is a big challenge from Europe’s point of view.

Classification of fuel cells is done on the basis of type of components used and type of reaction taking place inside the cell. Some of the well known components used are methanol, biogas, natural gas, hydrocarbon and hydrogen. The major primary fuel source for fuel cells is Hydrogen.

Major fuel type/technologies include

• Polymer/Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell,
• Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, and
• Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell,
• Solid Oxide Fuel Cell,
• Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell and others.

Polymer/Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell are the largest type in terms of revenue generating more than half of the revenue. Europe is the leading market of this technology producing more efficient fuel cell systems. The European fuel cell market is segmented on different basis as applications, types, regions and types of primary fuel source used in.    

Developing hydrogen infrastructure can be seen in Germany and U.K. Germany is having the largest market share followed by U.K. & rest of Europe.

 

Source: ec.europa.eu

The very common factor in market development strategies of key players is expansion and diversification of geographical areas. Agreements, contracts, joint ventures, merger and acquisition are the common techniques for the marketers.

Marketers are using the strategies like agreements, collaborations & partnerships penetrate the existing market, and expansion into the new and emerging markets. A quality research on fuel cell technology will focus on winning strategies, burning issues, market drivers, challenges, threats and opportunities.

For more info visit @

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/europe-fuel-cell-technology-market-expected-to-reach-6137-million-by-2018-455825.htm

Bio Based Succinic Acid - A One in All Platform Chemical

Source:www.bioenergyllc.com

 Succinic acid is used as a platform chemical for various industries. Until recently, Succinic acid was mainly produced as a result of some petroleum derived processes. This method is in used for generating commercial scale production of succinic acid. But now, another method of succinic acid as developed which is quite natural in nature. This new method uses renewable feedstock to produce succinic acid.   This new method is getting popular as it is eco friendly & cost competitive over the previous processes. The green and renewable nature of the bio based succinic acid makes it an alternative source over the petroleum based method. All these factors make a promising base for a highly potential market for bio based products.

Some research studies confirm the above said fact on succinic acid market. According to a report, Europe is the dominant market with 35% of market shares. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market with major markets like China, Japan & India.

The major geographical segmentation of the market is done as Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Rest of the world. The market can be also segmented on the basis of applications of succinic acid which include 1, 4 Butanediol, polyurethanes, food, pharmaceutical etc.

Source:www.chemicals-technology.com

Succinic acid comes in the category of intermediate chemicals which is used as a platform or building block to produce other chemicals used by many industries in various application areas. There is a wide range of applications for it consisting of food, metals, polymers, fibers, coatings, pharmaceutical, solvents, lubricating oils, diesel fuel and cosmetics.

This platform chemical is produced by the process of mixed-acid fermentation of carbohydrates. The same process also gives rise to production of some other chemicals like lactic acid, acetic acid, formic acid and alcohols. The output of the process varies depending on the micro-organism and cultivation method used in the process. 

When succinic acid is used in combination with 1, 4 butanediol it forms green biopolymers such as polybutylene succinate which finds its use in biodegradable packging films and disposable cutlery.

The world is slowly gaining importance of bio generated succinic acid. It is so that US Dept of Energy identifies succinic acid as one of the top 12 chemicals derived from biomass.

Manufacturing Process:

Bio-based succinic acids are produced from wheat or corn and have a greener as well as cheaper replacement for petrochemical based succinic acids.

The process of manufacturing bio based succinic acid is environment friendly and produces very less amount of toxic waste. Also, the end product produced at the end is similar to that produced by petroleum derived method. The end product generated by bio based processing does not require making any improvements to use it in the further process.

  

Another important aspect in the production of bio based succinic acid is that it requires CO2 for the anaerobic fermentation process.

Key players in the global market are as follows:

1.   BioAmber (U.S.),

2.   DSM (The Netherlands),

3.   Roquette SA (France),

4.   Myriant Technologies (U.S.),

5.   Mitsubishi Chemicals (Japan),

6.   Anqing Hexing Chemical Co. Ltd (China)

Market Analysis :

Detailed analysis of market will help marketers and manufacturers to get better understanding of the market conditions. It will help to know about market segmentation on different bases, analysing trends and forecasting revenue & volume for the considered period.

According to the data from a research in 2010, Europe holds the highest no. of market shares contributing 35% of total market. North America is the second largest market with 31% of market shares. Asia-Pacific covers 28% of market while remaining 6% is divided into rest of the world.

Source:www.marketsandmarkets.com

The global market for succinic acid is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.7% from 2011 to 2016 reaching the revenue to $496.0 million by 2016.

The demand driving factors for succinic acid market are:

   The growing need for more sustainable processes,

   Increasing environmental concerns, and

   Reduced oil dependency

The low cost of bio succinic acid is also boosting its use in many applications area such as polyurethanes, 1, 4-butanediol, thermoplastics, plasticizers etc.

Applications:

• Succinic acid is a precursor to some specialized polyesters. It is also a component of some alkyd resins.
• Succinic acid is used in the food and beverage industry, primarily as an acidity regulator. Global production is estimated at 16,000 to 30,000 tonnes a year, with an annual growth rate of 10%.
• In nutraceutical form as a food additive and dietary supplement, succinic acid is safe and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As an excipient in pharmaceutical products it is used to control acidity and, more rarely, in effervescent tablets.

Source:biomassmagazine.com

From above facts it can be stated that succinic acid has enormous potential in relation with economy and environment. This is why many key players in the platform chemical market are focusing their attentions to tap opportunities in this rapidly growing market.