Sol-gel market to reach $936 million by 2006

According to a soon-to-be-released study from the Business Communications Company, the US market for sol-gel products in 2001 was valued at $202 million. This includes prototype and production quantities, as well as sales from companies providing contract research. Currently, the markets are still dominated by abrasives, high-temperature applications, and coatings.

The US market is expected to reach $320 million by 2006 with an AAGR (annual average growth rate) of 9.6% from 2001 to 2006. Electronic and optical applications are expected to be the fastest growing market segments from 2001 to 2006, with AAGRs nearing 14%. High growth rates are also expected for chemical and biomedical applications at between 8% and approximately 10% per year.

By 2006, new market segments will emerge, including biomedical applications (such as bone grafting materials and drug therapy products) and chemical applications (gas separation membranes).

The global market for sol-gel products in 2001 was $712 million. This is forecasted to increase to $936 million by 2006 with an AAGR of 5.6% through 2006. In terms of market share, the US has currently almost 28% of the world market and is expected to increase this market share to 34% by 2006. One of the highest growth areas is expected to be organic/inorganic materials for optical and biomedical applications, as there are a significant number of research groups currently working on such materials.

Although the US leads in research and development, Japan (as in other high-technology areas) is able to commercialise and market products faster. The total number of US patents has also declined, with fewer applications being commercialised. Continued consolidation and budget cuts may have played a role in this lack of commercialisation, as well as the high cost of development. Competition from Europe will be mainly from Germany.

In terms of the US industry structure, the companies involved in sol-gel research and development range in size from small start-up companies to large, Fortune 500 corporations. Compared to the previous BCC report on the subject, the number of Fortune 500 companies has again decreased. A total of approximately 40 companies are actively pursuing research, development, testing, and commercialisation of sol gel-derived products, either for internal use and/or for external markets. There are also a significant number of universities working in this area, funded by companies or government agencies, while others are looking for companies to license their technology.

The term sol gel was first coined in the late 1800s. It generally refers to a low-temperature method using chemical precursors that can produce ceramics and glasses with better purity and homogeneity than conventional high temperature processes. This process has been used to produce a wide range of compositions (mostly oxides) in various forms, including powders, fibres, coatings and thin films, monoliths and composites, and porous membranes. Organic/inorganic hybrids, where a gel (usually silica) is impregnated with polymers or organic dyes to provide specific properties, can also be made. One of the most attractive features of the sol-gel process is that it can produce compositions that cannot be created with conventional methods. Another benefit is that the mixing level of the solution is retained in the final product, often on the molecular scale.