Silver nanomaterials have unique physical, chemical and optical properties that are being leveraged for wide variety of applications. A resurgence of interest in the utility of silver as a broad based antimicrobial agent has led to the development of hundreds of products that incorporate silver nanoparticles to prevent bacterial growth on surfaces and in clothing. The optical properties of silver nanoparticles are of interest due to the strong coupling of the silver nanoparticles to specific wavelengths of incident light. This gives it a tunable optical response, and can be utilized to develop ultra-bright reporter molecules, highly efficient thermal absorbers, and nanoscale “antennas” that amplify the strength of the local electromagnetic field to detect changes to the nanoparticle environment.

The growth of the touch-screen market has focused efforts on alternative materials that might make a dent in ITO’s dominance as a transparent conductor. Several years ago the hype was all about carbon nanotubes, but now it appears that nanomaterials made from silver are much more likely to gain market share and silver nanoparticles are being used as functional component in various sensor and products. Unlike in dye and pigments, where colors are dependent on the shape and size of the elements, silver nanoparticles are highly efficient at scattering and absorbing lighting conditions. Silver nanoparticles are highly interactive with light media, and these factors act as the key for the market growth. Spherical silver nanomaterials (SPR) are tunable to peak wavelength by changing its refractive index, and this is the major reason behind increasing adoption of the silver nanomaterials in display systems.

Silver nanomaterials are used in various application segments such as diagnosis, antibacterial, conductive and optical applications. It has higher thermal and electric conductivity that helps in system designing. Adoption of silver nanomaterial is higher in touch screen market as it has higher conductivity.

In the coming years, silver nanomaterials are expected to face stiff competition from other transparent conductors, as there is ongoing research in other materials that are used as transparent conductors. However, currently silver nanoparticle is the only transparent conductor that has capabilities to deliver flexibility to display and sensor designs. These features make the segment a higher revenue generating segment of the transparent conductor market.

These capabilities and strategies of the leading silver nanomaterial-based transparent conductor suppliers and the commercially interesting developments at other firms are e interesting to note in this segment. The all-important application here is touch screens, and that is the most likely place for silver materials considered to succeed. The other applications are in LCD and OLED displays, OLED lighting and PV panel segments.