Engineered nanomaterials for energy sector: market trends, modern applications and future prospects

The article reveals key trends of the development of the global market for engineered nanomaterials and focuses attention on the energy related market segment based on the studies and generalization of recent analytical reports and research publications in this field. The authors substantiate rapid market growth of the energy related nanomaterials taking into account available proving their unique electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical and catalytic properties, and increasing patent activity in the field under consideration. These factors significantly expand the application prospects of energy related nanomaterials in generation, conversion, storage, saving and transmission of energy in the conventional and renewable energy systems. Within that framework, modern and future applications and growth prospects of mostly used nanomaterials in the global energy market (graphene, fullerenes involving carbon nanotubes, and other carbon nanostructures, materials with the nanolayer structures, metal oxide nanoparticles, and some others) and most recent nanomaterials in the market (aerographene / graphene aerogel, 3D and 4D-printed aerogels) are characterized