Chemicals and Materials

Thin nano-films, nano-scale coating systems, and nano-structured surfaces have proven to deliver desired multi-functionalities such as corrosion protection, hydrophobicity, self cleaning, heat resistance, and thermal management. Significant long-term cost benefits offered by these coatings in niche applications, such as in the aerospace, defense, m...

This Industrial Bioprocessing TOE depicts trends across biomass pyrolysis. This issue features some of the technology innovations in pyrolysis, including overall regional trends in the adoption and development of pyrolysis technologies; drivers and restraints for the adoption of these technologies; patent trends; and selected significant patents wi...

Solar paint is a flexible liquid that can be spray-coated onto surfaces to form thin film photovoltaic systems that serve as an alternative to heavy solar panels. Solar paints are mostly composed of metal alloys or nanoparticles in a liquid matrix, providing the technology potentially high conversion efficiency. However, currently available solar p...

Smart textiles are fabrics that have been developed by integrating intelligent, value-added properties, such as energy conduction, sensing functionality, and stimuli responsiveness. These materials find high demand in the sports and fitness, medical devices, and consumer electronics industries. While the wide-scale technology adoption is currently ...

Need for viable material alternatives for conventional metals and ongoing lightweighting initiatives are leading to increasing adoption of plastics and composites in the automotive industry. While use of plastics in automotive interiors is established, research activities are also focused on the use of the plastic and composite resins for engine a...

This Industrial Bioprocessing TOE depicts trends across biodegradation of plastics. The TOE focuses on important innovations in biodegradable plastics covering additives that enhance biodegradability of plastics, cost-efficient technologies that degrade plastics, and microorganisms that enhance biodegradation of plastics. The corresponding patent s...

Coatings for wearable devices are mainly based on precious metals such as silver. These coatings are very expensive and increase the overall price of the wearable devices. The recent trend is to develop of polymer-based coatings and nanocoatings that can offer unique and specialized properties and more cost-effective than precious metals. Developi...

The healthcare industry is witnessing steady growth with the changing needs of people in the past few years. Advances in this industry, such as increased interest in miniaturization, aesthetic appeal of medical devices (especially orthopedic ones), are influencing material development for healthcare applications. Growing need for specialty medical ...

This Industrial Bioprocessing TOE depicts trends across probiotic-based household products. It covers the use of probiotics in household products as an alternate to toxic chemicals, probiotics treated textiles to kill dust mites, for combating sleep allergy, and probiotics in personal care products (such as body wash, cream, and deodorants). The co...