Graphene is a material that has received significant attention and hype, with its commercial adoption to date more of a material push than a market pull, as a killer application is sought. Bulk applications are being validated and will see uptake in the future, but this new release written by Dr Conor O'Brien, a graphene industry expert and a principal technology analyst at market intelligence firm IDTechEx, outlines how short-term adoption will be led by consumer products, particularly those in the prosumer/luxury category.
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For Immediate Release
Prosumer Applications Lead Early Adoption of Graphene, Reports IDTechEx
Wednesday 17th December 2025
IDTechEx
Cambridge, UK
Prosumer Applications Lead Early Adoption of Graphene, Reports IDTechEx
Despite intensive global efforts to commercialise graphene for large-scale, cost-sensitive applications, its first real impact is likely to emerge in the prosumer market. Here, performance matters more than price, allowing manufacturers to leverage graphene’s exceptional mechanical, thermal and electrical properties without waiting for mass-production cost breakthroughs. As bulk-market adoption continues to face scaling and integration challenges, prosumer products, ranging from high-end electronics to advanced sporting gear, are poised to demonstrate graphene’s value and pave the way for wider commercial uptake.
IDTechEx has covered the graphene industry for almost 15 years, having first published a report on the 2D material in 2012. The latest edition of the report, “Graphene & 2D Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Players”, builds on this extensive knowledge base providing unparalleled insights into the entire graphene value chain. The report provides detailed breakdowns of advances in manufacturing technologies, applications driving the market and independent analysis of the key players, alongside granular 10-year market forecasts for graphene by both volume and revenue segmented by 18 end-use applications.
Graphene manufacturers regularly quote bulk applications for the material, often to validate the total addressable market. However, dispersing graphene into bulk manufacturing remains challenging due to its tendency to agglomerate, which limits uniform or homogeneous distribution and reduces performance gains. In fact, taking the argument to the N-th degree, uneven dispersion can even lead to the formation of nucleation sites for material failure and reduce material properties. Achieving stable, repeatable dispersions requires precise control of particle size, surface chemistry and processing conditions, often adding cost and complexity.
Compatibility with existing manufacturing lines is another barrier, as mixing methods, solvents and binders may need modification. These hurdles slow graphene’s integration into commercial products, particularly in industries where consistency, scalability and cost efficiency are critical. For these reasons, IDTechEx expect the short term to be dominated by prosumer launches where price premiums are more palatable to the end user, and in many cases are passed from the manufacturer to the consumer.
Image source: IDTechEx report “Graphene & 2D Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Players”
Audio Drivers
Audio drivers in headphones have seen adoption of graphene coatings, with companies reporting that the performance of the nanocarbon is superior to that of paper and various metals. Early players in the field were small companies such as ORA Graphene and MediaDevil, largely relying on Kickstarter campaigns by selling direct to consumer. The first big box manufacturer to step into the space was LG Electronics, launching the flagship headset TONE Free T90, with graphene said to reduce unwanted vibrations. Logitech, Alienware and Philips have all followed suit, with various graphene enhanced products, typically a graphene coated audio driver.
The upgraded LG TONE Free T90S was released in mid-2024, notably featuring a graphene membrane rather than a coating on the audio driver. Typically, graphene has been seen in high-end headsets, but the launch of the Phillips H8000E headset bucked the trend, using graphene-coated 40 mm drivers in the mid-range offering. This trend is set to be repeated across industries, as premium prosumer products bring innovations to market, with technological advances then filtering down to mid-range products.
Lightweight Sporting Equipment
The market for prosumer sporting equipment is growing, with customers willing to pay a higher amount for a marginal gain in performance. Unsurprisingly there are a large number of sports & leisure goods that have adopted graphene. It could be argued that this is mainly for marketing, while the industry also has a larger margin for premium materials (that can then be passed on to the consumer) and a lower barrier to entry. Examples include rackets, helmets, bike frames, golf balls, fishing rods, skis, and many more. Haydale are a UK-based producer of graphene and graphene-enhanced prepregs. Norse Kayaks launched a lineup of sea kayaks in 2023, with Haydale’s material featuring in the vacuum infused composite, reducing weight by a reported 30% while increasing strength and stiffness.
Lightweighting is also of critical importance for the automotive industry, in particular for motorsports. Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is a UK-based automotive manufacturer, producing the world’s only “road-legal, single-seater supercars” – the BAC Mono and the BAC Mono R. The Mono R was launched in 2019, in a run of just 40 units, and features 44 graphene-enhanced carbon composite body panels. The addition of graphene allows just two layers of carbon fibre, where three were previously needed. The total weight of the 44 panels was reduced from 41 kg to 32 kg, representing a weight reduction of 22%. In the case of bespoke made-to-order automotive components, graphene offers a compelling advantage.
High Performance Footwear
Mechanically improved elastomers is a good adoption area for graphene, and shoes remain a very active area. Of course, given the consumer nature of these products it is hard to tell how much of the adoption is due to value-add rather than branding. First Graphene have partnered with Steel Blue to produce a safety boot featuring a graphene-enhanced scuff cap, and enhanced outsole for superior durability. The Inov8 trail running shoes feature a wide series of graphene-enhanced outsoles in both rubber and foam.
Gaming Equipment
Early adoption of graphene has been seen in consumer electronics, most notably among Chinese smartphone manufacturers. This trend has now continued to high-end gaming laptops and monitors, where prosumers pay a premium for marginal gains. Acer have launched what is described as “the industry’s first laptop to feature graphene thermal interface materials (TIM) in the CPU for improved cooling.” A gaming monitor developed by Samsung Display and ViewSonic employs a fanless cooling system that combines a full graphene sheet with an aluminum heat sink, designed to provide stable and silent performance even during extended gaming sessions.
For more details on the graphene market, including a segmentation by application area, see the IDTechEx market report "Graphene & 2D Materials 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Players". For more information on this report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/
For more information on IDTechEx's other reports and market intelligence offerings, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research.
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