Market Challenges And Opportunities

Thermally conductive polymers: Market restraints

Lower thermal conductivity than traditional metals

Thermally conductive polymers have low thermal conductivity than metals such as aluminum. These polymers are modified with thermally conductive fillers and additives to increase thermal conductivity. Metals have certain drawbacks such as being prone to corrosion and concentration of heat which leads to the creation of hot spots on the surface which can be eliminated by thermally conductive polymers. Thermally conductive polymers are design dependent and compatible with various polymer resins that can be processed in a variety of designs, shapes, and sizes for complex structures. However, the lower thermal conductivity of the polymers than traditional materials restrains the growth of the market.

Availability of substitutes is a major restraint for the growth of the conductive polymer market

The easy availability of substitute materials along with low thermal conductivity compared to other alternatives is expected to limit the market growth over the forecast years. Also, high cost of conductive materials owing to fluctuations in raw material costs is further estimated to hamper the market growth in the forecast time.

Thermally conductive polymers: Growth drivers

Rapid growth in the consumer electronics industry and demand from the automotive sector

Swift growth in the electronic sector is a major driving factor for the thermally conductive polymer market growth during the forecast years. This growth is majorly accredited to increasing consciousness about the safe packaging of electronic components from electromagnetic inference, static electricity, and others. This factor has augmented the utilization of conductive polymers in packaging applications owing to excellent shielding applications towards the electrostatic discharge and radio frequency interference. In addition, increasing demand from the automotive sector is also estimated to impel the market growth over the forecast years. This expected growth is owing to the potential applications of conductive polymers in battery-powdered automobiles because of their high energy density. Also, these materials are being used in modern vehicles such as designing of lightweight structures and play an important role in manufacturing of stiff, resistant and light vehicles with better safety; this aspect is further predicted to fuel market growth in the review time.

Miniaturization of electronic components and development of power electronics

Innovation in microelectronics and the development of smaller electronic component demand advanced thermal management solutions. Heat dissipation in microelectronics and power electronics is a critical challenge that can be addressed by thermally conductive polymers. Conventional materials such as aluminum have limited design freedom, whereas thermally conductive polymers can be over-molded to form complex designs of components. The concentration of heat in power electronics components such as LED may result in performance issues or component damage. Thermally conductive polymers are majorly used for heat dissipation and substitute material for metals ad ceramics in electrical & electronics, automotive, and other industries for superior thermal management