Market Overview:
Silver nanowires are ultrafine wires made of silver and have diameters in the range of 30–100 nm. They enable high conductivity and optical transparency which makes them suitable as transparent conductive materials. Silver nanowires find usage in touch screens, OLED/LCD displays, smart glass, solar panels and other optoelectronics. Due to their excellent electrical and optical properties, silver nanowires can potentially replace indium tin oxide as the material of choice for transparent conductive films.
Market key trends:
Silver nanowires being used as a transparent conductive material is a key driving trend for its market growth. They can conduct electricity efficiently while maintaining up to 90% transparency which makes them suitable for applications like touch screens, LCDs and solar panels. Traditional transparent conductive materials like indium tin oxide are brittle and inflexible. Silver nanowires provide higher flexibility, tear resistance and durability making them an attractive proposition for next generation optoelectronics. Rising adoption of large size touch panels and foldable displays is expected to further propel the demand for silver nanowires during the forecast period.
The global Silver Nanowires Market Demand is estimated to be valued at US$ 148.1 Million in 2023 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 34.6% over the forecast period 2023 - 2030, as highlighted in a new report published by Coherent Market Insights.
Porter’s Analysis
Threat of new entrants: Low barrier for new entrants to enter the silver nanowires market as the manufacturing process is technologically feasible. However, established players have strong brand image and economies of scale which make it difficult for new players.
Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers have moderate bargaining power due to availability of several manufacturers. However, customized and application specific silver nanowires give buyers limited options.
Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers have low to moderate bargaining power due to availability of substitute raw materials. However, suppliers of high purity silver shots used in manufacturing have some control over prices.
Threat of new substitutes: Moderate threat from other nanoparticle substitutes like copper nanowires and graphene. However, silver nanowires have established applications and performance advantages over substitutes.
Competitive rivalry: Intense due to presence of global and regional established players competing on basis of product quality, price and manufacturing capability.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: High electrical & thermal conductivity properties of silver nanowires make them suitable for applications like touch panels, flexible displays and circuits.
Weaknesses: Manufacturing process optimization and yield improvement still needed to reduce manufacturing costs. Difficulty in achieving uniform dispersion of silver nanowires leading to performance variations.
Opportunities: Rising demand for touch enabled devices, flexible/wearable electronics and transparent conductive coatings offer significant growth opportunities. Development of silver nanowire based products like conductive inks, pastes and coatings.
Threats: Availability of substitutes like graphene, carbon nanotubes and copper nanowires. Volatility in silver raw material prices can squeeze manufacturers’ margins.
Key Takeaways
The global silver nanowires market is expected to witness high growth, exhibiting CAGR of 34.6% over the forecast period, due to increasing demand for touch enabled consumer electronic devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops. Silver nanowires find wide usage as transparent conductive coatings in touchscreens of these devices due to their high conductivity and flexibility.
Regionally, Asia Pacific dominated the global market in 2023 and is expected to maintain its lead through 2030. China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are major manufacturing hubs for consumer electronics and witness high production volumes of touch enabled devices. This makes APAC the highest consuming region for silver nanowires.
Key players operating in the silver nanowires market are Cambrios, Blue Nano, C3Nano, Nanopyxis, Hefei Vigon Material Technology, Gu’s New Material, ACS Material, Zhejiang Kechuang Advanced Materials, BASF, PlasmaChem, Suzhou ColdStones Technology, Nanopix, Novarials, Abr.
