Conductive Polymers

According to a new technical market research report, Conductive Polymers (PLS043B) from BCC Research, the global market for electroactive polymers will reach 314.7 million pounds in 2008. It is expected to increase to over 409 million pounds by 2013, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4%.

The market is broken down into applications of conductive polymers and inherently conductive polymers (ICPs). Of these, conductive polymers have the largest share of the market. Estimated at 311 million pounds in 2008, this segment is expected to increase to 402 million pounds by the end of 2013, for a CAGR of 5.3%. Conductive polymers have been commercial for many years, and have received increasingly more attention due to the growth of electronics devices vis-à-vis protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD) and electromagnetic interference.

ICPs will account for 3.7 million pounds in 2008 and reach 7.9 million pounds in 2013, a CAGR of 15.8%. ICPs are still considered in the early stages of development, although this segment will significantly increase its market share in volume and dollar value over the next 5 years. Many scientists and corporations remain optimistic about ICPs, and hundreds of papers and patents on ICPs are published each year. ICPs have started to slowly penetrate the traditional conductive plastics market in electrostatic coatings. Capacitors are currently the largest ICP application, followed by ESD, sensors, textiles and corrosion protection.

A great deal of research and development into conductive polymers has resulted from the continuing proliferation of sensitive electronic devices, the need to protect them, and exciting new technologies. Potential conductive polymer applications include electrostatic dissipation control, antistatic packaging, light emitting displays, capacitors, electrostatic paintable plastics, corrosion-resistant paints/coatings and electrostatic spray painting, and the list keeps on growing.