Fluoropolymers are widely used and the industry still has much room for development.

Fluoropolymer is a general term for alkane polymers in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms. It has the characteristics of aging resistance, low friction, high and low temperature resistance, etc. It can be divided into three categories: fluororesin, fluorine rubber and other fluorine products. .

The upstream of the fluoropolymer industry chain is the supply of materials such as fluorite, phosphate rock, and hydrofluoric acid; the midstream is the production of various subdivided products, including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), perfluoroethylene propylene copolymer (FEP), etc.; downstream are widely used in automobiles, communications, food, new energy, petrochemicals, electronics and electrical, aerospace , semiconductor industry and other fields.

From the perspective of upstream raw materials, my country is a major fluorspar producer, with fluorspar production accounting for more than 57% of the global total. In 2022, my country’s fluorspar output will exceed 5.6 million tons, providing sufficient raw material supply for the fluoropolymer industry.

According to the “China Fluoropolymer Industry Segment Demand and Development Opportunities Research Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that from the perspective of product structure, polytetrafluoroethylene is an important subcategory of fluoropolymers, accounting for more than 50% of market demand, ranking first, and polyvinylidene fluoride accounting for approximately 27%. , ranked second, and the demand for perfluoroethylene propylene copolymer accounted for nearly 13%, ranking third.

There are two main methods for preparing fluoropolymers: physical blending and chemical polymerization. Chemical polymerization includes suspension polymerization, solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, living cationic polymerization, controlled/”living” polymerization, living anionic polymerization, etc.

As my country’s economic and technological development level continues to improve, automobiles, new energy and other industries continue to develop, and the scale of high-end manufacturing continues to expand. As a polymer material with excellent performance, fluoropolymers have continued to grow in market demand, and production and sales have maintained a rapid growth trend. . It is expected that my country’s fluoropolymer (fluororesin) output will exceed 230,000 tons in 2023, and sales will reach about 200,000 tons.

There are a large number of fluoropolymer manufacturers in my country, and market competition is fierce. After a period of development in the industry, the industrial chain system is relatively complete. Some fluoropolymer product production technologies have made major breakthroughs, and they have certain competitive advantages in the international market. However, the overall production technology is still at a low level, some high-end products still need to rely on foreign imports, and the industry still has considerable room for development. At present, domestic fluoropolymer manufacturers include Shandong Dongyue, Yonghe Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Juhua, Solvay Specialty Polymers, Shanghai Sanaifu, etc.

Industry analysts said that with the continuous development of high-tech industries, the use of fluoropolymers in photovoltaics, electronics, aerospace and other fields Applications will become more and more widespread, and the industry is booming. Domestic fluoropolymer manufacturers still need to increase capital and R&D investment, improve independent innovation capabilities, optimize product quality and performance, and enhance their core competitiveness.