Polyimide: From Rocket Flame to Fashion Peak, Chinas Material Revolution Reshaps Billion Dollar Market

Polyimide: From Rocket Flame to Fashion Peak, China's Material Revolution Reshaps Billion Dollar Market

A quiet material revolution is turning the insulation layer of rocket engines into the lightest warm clothing in your wardrobe.

The "Zhuque-2" rocket was launched into space, and the rocket engine nozzle was subjected to high temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius. The aerospace grade ultra light special sound-absorbing and heat-insulating foam inside played a key role. This cutting-edge material is now quietly entering the lives of ordinary people.

Polyimide, this magical material known as the 'golden film', is completing a magnificent transformation from aerospace to everyday wear. It is not only the focus of global high-tech competition, but also an important breakthrough for China to break the monopoly of foreign technology.

01 Strategic value, the great power game behind the small film

Polyimide is considered one of the most promising engineering plastics of the 21st century, known as the "golden film" in the industry due to its high price, high technological barriers, and excellent performance. Without polyimide, there would be no microelectronics technology today. It is a core material in high-end fields such as aerospace, flexible displays, and 5G communication.

The global polyimide market has long been dominated by foreign companies. Companies from the United States, Japan, and South Korea, including DuPont, Zhongyuan Chemical, and Toray Corporation, account for nearly 80% of the industry's production capacity. DuPont produced approximately 3500 tons in 2021, accounting for over 20% of the global total production.

This monopolistic situation once put the development of China's high-tech industry at the mercy of others. In 2019, the Japanese government restricted the export of three products, including fluorinated polyimide, to South Korea, causing tension in the country's semiconductor and panel industries. This incident highlights the strategic value of polyimide materials.

The breakthrough of China's polyimide industry began with a group of enterprises dedicated to technological innovation. Zhongke Jiuyuan New Materials Co., Ltd. has applied for more than 180 invention patents in just 6 years, of which 85 have been authorized, demonstrating industry-leading research and development efficiency.

At present, there are only 10 companies in China's A-share market that have polyimide related businesses. As of the end of June 2023, the total market value of these concept stocks is less than 100 billion yuan. But it is these enterprises that are gradually changing the pattern of China's dependence on imported high-end materials.

02 Performance advantage, all-around player in extreme environments

Polyimide is known as the "golden film" due to its excellent comprehensive performance. This material has a high temperature resistance of over 400 ℃, a long-term use temperature range of -200 ℃ to 300 ℃, and high insulation performance.

In the aerospace field, polyimide can withstand the alternating impact of extremely low temperatures in space and extremely high temperatures during rocket launch. For example, the five-star red flag on the Chang'e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover is made of polyimide material, which can withstand the extreme temperature environment of up to 160 ℃ during the day and down to -180 ℃ at night on the lunar surface.

The extremely low thermal conductivity of polyimide makes it an ideal insulation material. When traditional materials fail at high temperatures, polyimide can still maintain stable performance.

This characteristic also makes it shine in the field of clothing. Polyimide fibers have good spinnability and can be used to make textiles for various special occasions. Due to its high and low temperature resistance, flame retardancy, non melting droplets, self extinguishing upon ignition, and excellent insulation properties, polyimide fiber insulation protective clothing is comfortable to wear and has good skin adaptability.

03 Technological Breakthrough, Long March from Laboratory to Mass Production

The preparation process of polyimide is extremely complex. The basic process involves low-temperature condensation of phthalic anhydride and p-phenylenediamine in a strongly polar solvent to form soluble high molecular weight polyamic acid, which is then heated, dehydrated, and cyclized to form polyimide.

This process requires extremely high requirements for process control. The spinning methods of polyimide fibers are divided into wet spinning and dry spinning. Depending on whether the spinning slurry is polyimide or polyamic acid, there are one-step spinning and two-step spinning methods.

The breakthrough of Chinese enterprises lies not only in laboratory preparation, but also in the realization of large-scale production. Jiangsu Aoshen New Materials Company adopts dry spinning and integrated production technology with independent intellectual property rights, which has high production efficiency and good product uniformity.

Mingshi New Materials Co., Ltd. has invested 934.7 million yuan to build a high-performance polyimide material project, with plans to achieve an annual production capacity of 500 tons of polyimide adhesive solution. This large-scale investment marks the transition of China's polyimide industry from technological breakthroughs to marketization.

04 Civil landing, aerospace technology enters daily life

After achieving success in the aerospace industry, polyimide began to expand into the civilian sector. Among them, the clothing industry is one of the most promising markets.

The non-woven fabric woven from polyimide fibers is the most ideal fiber material for making fire-resistant and flame-retardant clothing such as protective clothing for armored units, racing flame retardant clothing, and flight suits. This nanofiber non-woven fabric can also be used to manufacture comfortable and warm functional clothing.

In terms of labor protective clothing, China's metallurgical department requires 50000 sets of heat-insulating, breathable, and soft flame-retardant work clothes per year, while departments such as hydropower, nuclear industry, geology and mining, petrochemicals, and oil fields require 300000 sets of protective clothing per year. The annual demand for high-temperature resistant flame-retardant special protective clothing is about 300 tons of fiber.

With the advancement of technology, the cost of polyimide materials has gradually decreased, creating conditions for their application in the field of ordinary clothing. Some cutting-edge clothing brands have started to launch polyimide thermal clothing, which emphasizes the characteristics of "lightweight and warm" and is gradually becoming popular among outdoor enthusiasts.

05 Market prospects, explosive demand driven by multiple factors

The global demand for high-end polyimide is increasing day by day. With the development of industries such as 5G high-frequency communication, wearable devices, flexible displays, and new energy vehicles in the electronics and automotive industries, the polyimide film market has broad prospects.

Experts predict that the world's demand for polyimide will increase at a rate of 5.0% -10% annually. The total output value of China's new materials industry is expected to exceed 8 trillion yuan in 2024, maintaining double-digit rapid growth for 14 consecutive years.

In the field of flexible displays, polyimide is the raw material for flexible screens. With the rise of wearable devices, the market demand for flexible circuit boards has sharply increased. According to the US information consulting HIS, the shipment volume of wearable devices is expected to reach 39 million to 170 million in 2016.

In the field of new energy vehicles, polyimide can be used as slot insulation and cable wrapping material for motors. With the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle industry, the demand for high-performance insulation materials continues to grow.