Thermal Conductive Polymer Materials Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By End-Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 To 2028

The global thermal conductive polymer materials market is estimated to witness significant growth over the forecast period on account of the rising demand from various end-use industries including electrical & electronics, automotive, healthcare, and aerospace & defense. Furthermore, increasing penetration of polymers or plastics owing to rising urbanization and industrialization is expected to have a positive impact on the thermal conductive polymer materials market growth.

Thermal conductive polymer materials are majorly used in the manufacturing industry on account of its properties such as lightweight, high chemical stability, cost-effectiveness, and versatility. These materials are also used as substitutes for conventional plastics/polymers, ceramics, and metals for thermal-sensitive applications.

Thermal Conductive Polymer Materials Market Segmentation

Thermal conductive polymer materials are increasingly being used in various heat-sink applications including automotive components or housings as these compounds have lower density and are lightweight compared to their conventional counterparts. The properties of these materials can be changed by altering the quantity of fillers, in order to change its thermal properties.

The thermal conductive polymers are combination of polymers and fillers, wherein the polymers are used as binding materials mixed with different filler particles such as graphite to increase the thermal conductivity of the material. Polymers and polymer compounds are increasingly being used as structured materials owing to the diverse functionality, low cost, and light weight properties. However, the low thermal conductivity of various other materials limits their adoption in flexible electronics, on account of their limited heat spreading ability.

A polymer engineered with high thermal conductivity aids in the manufacturing of heat exchangers and polymeric heat spreaders, having properties such as corrosion resistance, structural compactness, low-cost, lightweights, and ease of processing. Such polymers are used various applications in the energy, water, and electronics industries.

The thermal conductivity of a polymer is dependent on its morphology, structure of chains such as inter-chain coupling, side chains, and backbone bonds. The presence of a dominant amorphous nature of the polymer corresponds to low thermal conductivity, which can be improved by improving the alignment of polymer chains through various techniques such as electrospinning, nanoscale templating, and mechanical stretching. Another method of manufacturing thermal conductive polymers includes blending of polymers with highly thermal conductive fillers.

The different types of fillers used in thermal conductive polymer materials include carbonous, ceramic, and metallic fillers, wherein metallic fillers include copper nanowires/nanoparticles, silver particles, aluminum fibers, and gold or palladium powders. Blending with metallic fillers is also anticipated to increase the electrical conductivity of the polymers, thereby limiting their adoption in applications requiring electrical insulation.

The rising awareness pertaining to the advantages of polymer materials over other materials such as ceramic and metal, is anticipated to have a positive impact on the demand for thermal conductive polymer materials. Properties of polymer materials such as thermal stability, high scratch resistance, customizable, easy-to-handle or mold, resistance to abrasion, and lightweight is expected to increase its adoption across various applications.

The demand for thermal conductive polymer materials in the automotive industry is attributed to the rising adoption of plastics as metal substitutes, in order to increase performance, reduce weight of the vehicles & overall costs, and aid design flexibility. Furthermore, rising demand for lightweight automobiles, compact design, and energy-efficient lighting solutions is anticipated to boost the penetration of thermal conductive polymer materials in the automotive industry.

The increasing penetration of thermal conductive polymers across various end-use industries is attributed to their ability of customization, as the heat transfer required is various applications is dependent on material or design of the product. In the design-dependent or convection applications, thermal conductive polymers are preferred over metals or ceramics on account of their ability to provide flexibility in design for parts consolidation and molded-in functionality. However, in material-dependent or conduction applications, metals or ceramics are preferred as the thermal conductivity of plastic is lower than the former.

Thermal conductive polymer materials are also responsible for improving the thermal performance of LED systems, which are sustainable alternative to the conventional lighting systems such as incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent bulbs, as they aid in saving energy by 30% to 80%. These materials provide optimum compromise between space constraints, cost, and heat dissipating capacity in LEDs. Thus, with the increasing sophistication of the LED designs is anticipated to have a positive impact on the demand for thermal conductive polymer materials over the forecast period.

The lack of availability of quality distributors and compounders owing to lack of technical expertise is expected to limit the production of thermal conductive polymer materials. Furthermore, high cost of TCP with carbon fiber or boron nitrile compared to its counterparts coupled with the complex production process is anticipated to limit the material adoption in specific applications.

The thermal conductive polymer materials market is characterized by the presence of a large number of players, including Celanese Corporation; DSM; KANEKA CORPORATION; TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.; SABIC; HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA; Saint-Gobain; Arkema; RTP Company; Brenntag GmbH; Covestro AG; BASF SE; and Kenner Material & System Co., Ltd.

Thermal Conductive Polymer Materials Market Report Scope