by Introduction
Flexible electronics refers to the integration of electronic devices built on flexible, fabric-like substrates instead of the traditional rigid printed circuit boards. As the name suggests, these electronic devices can be bent, folded, twisted, and take shape-changing form factors without degradation. Flexible electronics is enabling the development of novel electronic products that can conform and adapt to any non-planar surface.
Enabling Technologies
Several technologies come together to make flexible electronics possible. Flexible displays, batteries, printed circuits, and conductive inks are some of the key enabling technologies:
Flexible Displays
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are leading the flexible display market. OLED displays have several advantages over LCD displays like thinner profile, high contrast, wider viewing angles, and capability to be fabricated on flexible plastic substrates like PET instead of rigid glass. Companies like Samsung, LG, and BOE have demonstrated prototypes of flexible OLED TVs and smartphone displays.
Printed Circuits & Conductive Inks
Instead of traditional rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs), flexible circuits are printed directly onto thin plastic films using specialized conductive inks. Silver nanowire, carbon nanotube, and graphene-based inks allow printing flexible and stretchable circuits on diverse substrates. Multiple layers can be printed to create circuits with passive and active electronic components.
Flexible Batteries
Bending power sources have been a challenge for flexible devices. Thin-film lithium-ion batteries printed on plastic are a promising solution. Companies are also exploring innovative shape-adaptive battery designs using origami-inspired form factors.
Applications Driving Development
The emerging applications are strong drivers for advancements in flexible electronics technologies:
Wearable Devices
Wearables were among the earliest adopters of flexible electronics. Fitness bands, smartwatches, health patches, VR/AR head-mounted displays, and smart garments will continue pushing the boundaries of flexible displays, circuits, and power sources.
Internet of Things (IoT) Sensors
Flexible/stretchable sensor skins can conformally monitor human motion, health vitals, and industrial processes. Early applications include e-skin keyboards, touchpads, and conformal sensor patches.
Smart Packaging & Labels
Flexible electronics open new interaction paradigms for product packaging, food safety monitors, virtual instruction manuals, and smart product authenticators.
Automotive & Transportation
Applications include smart mirrors, heads-up displays, multifunctional surfaces in autonomous vehicles, and aircraft/aerospaceStructural Health Monitoring systems.
Biomedical Implants
Flexible circuits,MEMS sensors and actuators, and thin-film batteries enable new generations of minimally invasive, biodegradable medical devices with on-body sensing capabilities.
Market and Industry Growth
Accelerated by the above application areas, the flexible electronics market is poised for exponential growth in the coming years:
Current Market Landscape
The global flexible electronics market reached $15.8 billion in 2020 dominated by displays, photovoltaics, and batteries.Display applications contributed $7.5 billion driven by OLED adoption in premium smartphones.
Future Market Potential
ReportsnReports predicts the market to reach $62.5 billion by 2026, witnessing a CAGR of 24.5% led by new tech commercialization in areas like e-paper, thin-film PV, and flexible/ printed sensor skin. North America and APAC dominate current revenuesbutother regions will catch up faster.
Major Industry Players
Samsung, LG, and BOE leads flexible displays production. DuPont-Kohler, Cambrios, and Canatu produce nanowire inks. Enfucell, Prologium, and Blue Solutions develop flexible battery technologies. Universal Display, AUO, and Evonik work on OLED materials.
Government funding is boosting R&D in the U.S., EU, Japan, China, and South Korea. Start-ups in the flexible electronics ecosystem raised ~$2 billion in 2020 alone. Strategic partnerships and merger & acquisition activities are ramping up globally.
Conclusion
In conclusion, flexible electronics offer radically new design paradigms for human-centric electronic interfaces and systems. Its growing commercial success across diverse industries will depend on further innovations driving more bendable, foldable, biocompatible, and multifunctional form factors. Flexible electronics certainly represents the future of technology – wearable, invisible, and ubiquitous.
*Note:
- Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
- We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
