Abstract
Silver inks occupy a unique position in the printable electronics industry at the present time. They are the only inks for PE that are both widely available from a fairly large number of suppliers and in use today to produce commercial quantities of electronic products. It is fairly easy to understand why silver has achieved this position. Silver is the ideal conductor, it is not only more conductive than any other metal, but unlike other metals the oxides that ultimately grow on its surface are also conductive. And, of course, since silver has been used as a conductor since the beginning of electronics, there is already a deep understanding of it use in electronics applications. Finally, silver inks have been around for decades for graphics applications. Admittedly, there is considerable difference between printing a greetings card and printing an RFID. Nonetheless, this history has given ink makers some useful experience in making inks from silver particles and flakes.
There may be as many as 20 firms currently supplying silver inks for electronic applications. In the context of printed electronics, the most important of the current applications for these inks is in printing RFID antennas, since it provides one piece in the jigsaw puzzle for creating a complete printed RFID tag. However, there are other applications for these inks that are usually not considered part of PE, because printing is inherently a minor part of the manufacturing approach used to create complete functional electronic devices. These other applications include printing contacts in membrane switches and printing conductive tracks for circuit boards, intelligent packaging, greetings cards, games, etc. Printed silver may also be used in EMI shielding, an application that hovers between PE and the coatings business.
Until very recently, silver inks for PE and related applications represented a tiny niche in the specialty chemicals market. However, as the PE business takes off, silver inks show promise to become a product that will sell in quantities measured in the metric tones. NanoMarkets' latest forecast show revenues from these inks for major PE applications exceeding $1.0 billion by 2014. That' s a substantial business opportunity and it raises a number of questions.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
- 1.1 Emerging Opportunities in Silver Inks for Printed Electronics
- 1.1.1 Diversity and Market Positioning for Silver Inks
- E.2 Firms and Strategies to Watch
- E.2.1 Silver Inks and the Traditional Electronic Materials Industry
- E.2.2 Novel Silver Inks, the Future of PE and VCs
- E.2.3 Notes on Asia
- E.2.4 Silver Inks and Integrators
- E.3 Summary of Forecasts
Chapter One: Introduction
- 1.1 Background to Report
- 1.2 Objectives and Scope of this Report
- 1.3 Methodology of this Report
- 1.4 Plan of this Report
Chapter Two: Evolution of Silver Ink Technology
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.1.1 New Ink Formulations and Nano-Inks
- 2.1.2 Processing Trends
- 2.2 Strategies of the Silver Ink Suppliers
- 2.2.1 Advanced Nano Products (ANP)
- 2.2.2 Cabot
- 2.2.3 Cima NanoTech
- 2.2.4 Creative Materials
- 2.2.5 DuPont
- 2.2.6 Ferro
- 2.2.7 Five Star Technologies
- 2.2.8 Harima Chemical
- 2.2.9 NanoDynamics
- 2.2.10 NanoGram
- 2.2.11 NanoMas
- 2.2.12 National Starch (Acheson and Xink)
- 2.2.13 NovaCentrix
- 2.2.14 Parelec
- 2.2.15 PChem Associates
- 2.2.16 Sun Chemical
- 2.3 Environmental Considerations
Chapter Three: Applications and Forecasts
- 3.1 Introduction: Forecasting Methodology
- 3.2 Emerging Printable Electronics Applications
- 3.2.1 Applications for Silver Inks in Printable Displays and Backplanes
- 3.2.2 Applications for Silver Inks in RFID
- 3.2.3 Applications for Silver Inks in Sensors
- 3.2.4 Applications for Silver Inks in Lighting, PV Memory and Other Durable PE Applications
- 3.2.5 Applications for Silver Inks in Novelties and Disposable Electronics
- 3.2.6 Applications for Silver Inks in Other Printable Electronics Devices
- 3.3 Traditional "Thick Film" Applications for Silver Conductive Inks
- 3.4 Eight-Year Market Forecast of Silver Inks by Type of Printing Technology and Type of Ink
- 3.5 Eight-Year Market Forecast of Silver Inks by Application and Type of Ink Used
Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in this Report
About the Author
List of Exhibits
- Exhibit E-1: Product Strategies for Silver Conductive Ink Makers
- Exhibit E-2: Competitive Claims Made by Silver Ink Manufacturers
- Exhibit E-3: Market Forecast of Silver Inks for Printable Electronics ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 2-1: Conductivity of Metals
- Exhibit 2-2: Advantages Claimed for Nanoparticulate Silver Inks
- Exhibit 2-3: Suppliers of Silver Inks, Pastes and Powders to the Printed Electronics Industry
- Exhibit 3-1: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Displays ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-2: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Backplanes ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-3: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: RFID Antennas ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-4: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: RFID Tags ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-5: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Sensors ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-6: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Lighting ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-7: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Memory ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-8: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: PV ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-9: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Novelties ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-10: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Smart Cards ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-11: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Other PE ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-12: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market: Thick Film Applications ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-13: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market by Type of Ink Used ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-14: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market by Printing Technology Used ($ Millions)
- Exhibit 3-15: Eight-Year Forecasts of Silver Ink Market by Application ($ Millions)
