Across industries, different trends and technologies are on the rise while others decline. In this Trend Evolution report, you can explore how the popularity of five materials trends changed since 2005. And, more importantly, you get to discover which technology trends to focus on to bring your innovation agenda forward.
Materials Trend Evolution Map 2005-2020
Below, you will find the Trend Evolution Map, highlighting the relative popularity of five energy industry trends from 2005 to 2020. The data behind this research comes from the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally.
Get insights into which materials industry trends to invest in – whether that is sustainability, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, materials informatics, or lightweighting. Additionally, we introduce you to 5 trending materials startups developing innovative solutions for these trends.
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5 Materials Trend to Look Forward to
In response to consumer awareness and zero-carbon goals of companies and governments, there is an increasing demand for sustainable materials. These materials replace petrochemical products and their derivatives with bio-based materials. These bio-based materials also open up new applications in healthcare and manufacturing. Nanotechnology is also furthering sustainability with the development of biocompatible, biodegradable, and compostable materials. Green nanotechnology materials are advancing sustainable solutions in other ways as well, such as by enabling more efficient solar cells.
Additive manufacturing opens up many new methods for materials development. It is making it easier to manufacture materials like granulated polymers, photopolymers, and thermoset composites. The relationship between materials and additive manufacturing flows in both directions. Materials startups also develop resins and other materials to advance additive manufacturing solutions, including metal 3D printing. The industry is leveraging data and algorithms on a massive scale for materials informatics solutions that help save time and costs in material discovery. This allows companies to develop materials that exhibit certain desired qualities, with lightweighting solutions emerging as the most popular trend.
5 Trending Materials Startups
Sustainability – Radical Plastics
Radical Plastics is a US-based startup developing patented technology to make conventional plastics biodegradable. The startup blends plastic with a free radical catalyst that makes the plastic metabolizable for microbes.
Nanotechnology – CENmat
German startup CENmat produces customized nanomaterials. The startup’s portfolio includes nanomaterials of 30 different metals in the form of pure metals, oxides, and alloys.
Additive Manufacturing – Harz Labs
Harz Labs is a Russian startup that develops materials for additive manufacturing. The startup’s stereolithography (SLA) resins are designed to create dental models, surgery guides, and direct casting.
Material Informatics – Exponential Technologies
Latvian startup Exponential Technologies provides solutions for material innovation in industrial engineering. The startup’s platform, xT smart_DoE, uses AI algorithms to accelerate material development.
Lightweighting – B-PREG Composites
B-PREG Composites is a Turkish startup working on nature-based composite materials. By reinforcing thermoplastic organosheets with flax fibers, the startup provides affordable and sustainable lightweighting solutions.
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Discover the entire Materials Trend Landscape
Beyond additive manufacturing, materials startups develop electroplating, chemical vapor deposition, and physical vapor deposition solutions to protect surfaces. Startups offer a range of coating solutions that are anti-microbial, fireproof, or hydrophobic in nature. New materials like carbon fiber composites, metal-organic frameworks, and reinforced concrete also serve applications in automotive and construction. Lastly, generative design solutions enable iterative design for topology optimization.
These technologies present just a snapshot of the materials industry – with many more industry trends to be explored. When you are looking for an overview of all emerging trends and technologies for your innovation units, R&D, or product development department, we give you the most exhaustive analysis and ensure to keep you up-to-date on the latest technology and emerging solutions – quickly and exhaustively.
