VIRGINIA, USA (Commodity Online): Silver powders and flakes may be replaced with silver nano powders and flakes as it is less negatively impacted by the rising price of silver. The nascent market for silver nano powders and flakes is expected to grow 85% annually to $300 mn in 2016 from now, according to an analysis by NanoMarkets (www.nanomarkets.com). However, the analysis pointed out that that major business development work still needs to be done to convince potential customers to change their processes; it will be important to demonstrate real savings for customers, though. "The traditional silver powders and flakes business is being shaken up by the commercialization of silver nanopowders and nanostructures. The arrival of these silver nanomaterials is enabling addressable markets for silver inks and powders to be expanded. Nanosilver powders promise to become a potent new antibacterial preparation, for example. And nanosilver inks have the potential to take printed electronics from the age of the membrane switch to the age of the printed sensor and backplane." The analysis notes that because of the high price of silver there will be a major trend towards the use of hybrid materials, that combine silver powder or flake with less expensive (but also less conductive) materials. The volume of such materials used worldwide is expected to grow by more than 50 percent between now and 2016. Hybrid inks and pastes have always done well during times of high silver prices, but and NanoMarkets also expects that there is an opportunity here for suppliers to market hybrids like silver-coated copper or silver-coated nickel fillers for at least a portion of the conductive adhesives market. The NanoMarkets report analyzes the markets available for silver powders, flakes and nanomaterials over the next eight-years and provides detailed guidance on where the new revenue generating capabilities will emerge. It includes a granular forecast of new business potential in this area for the next eight years, as well as an analysis of the strategies being employed by the leading firms in this space. The report covers both emerging and conventional uses of silver flakes and powders and is a companion volume to the highly successful series of reports that NanoMarkets has produced on silver inks and pastes for the past five years, NanoMarkets said. This report also discusses the considerable challenges that the silver powder and flakes business will face in the coming years. The most obvious of these is the high price of silver, which shows no sign of abating. This will make end users of silver powders and flakes begin to look at alternatives ranging from traditional silver alternatives such as carbon and copper all the way to the latest nanomaterials. "We show where silver powders and flakes will continue to rule the roost and where they must give way to other kinds of non-silver replacements. In this report, we also consider with the impact of regulation impacting the use of nanomaterials, which has been especially focused on nanosilver. While nanosilver appears to offer a new weapon against bacteria there are genuine concerns that nanosilver could – for this reason – prove to be a health risk," the research agency said in a press release.

Source