Polyvinyl formal (PVF) is widely used and vinylon is an important downstream market

Polyvinyl formal, referred to as PVF in English, is a polymer compound produced by the reaction of polyvinyl alcohol and formaldehyde. Polyvinyl formal appears as a white or slightly yellow solid. It is insoluble in water and soluble in acetone, acetic acid, phenols and other organic solvents. It has a low heat deformation temperature, is thermoplastic, and has water absorption.

The preparation methods of polyvinyl formal mainly include: using polyvinyl alcohol and formaldehyde as raw materials, adding an acidic catalyst, and performing an acetalization reaction to prepare it; using polyvinyl acetate and formaldehyde dissolved in acetic acid or alcohol as raw materials, adding The acidic catalyst is prepared by hydrolysis and acetalization reaction; using polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution as raw material, polyvinyl alcohol fiber is first prepared, and under the action of the acidic catalyst, it is acetalized with formaldehyde to prepare fiber products.

According to the “Polyvinyl Formal (PVF) Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center shows that polyvinyl formal has a wide range of uses. It can be used as a foaming agent, abrasive materials, and in the manufacture of adhesives, electrical insulation materials, etc., and is used in coatings, foam plastics, wires and cables, metal products, rubber products and other fields; Polyvinyl formal fiber is a synthetic fiber with a large demand in the textile field and can be used to make clothing, cables, canvas, waterproof cloth, etc. Affected by the different proportions of raw materials and manufacturing processes, the performance of polyvinyl formal varies greatly and can be used in different scenarios. Polyvinyl formal fiber is its important downstream market.

Polyvinyl formal fiber, trade name is vinylon, which has the advantages of good softness, good hygroscopicity, good warmth retention, high strength, high wear resistance, good chemical stability, good weather resistance, and not easy to be moldy. , the garments made are more comfortable to wear. According to data from the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, my country’s vinylon production will be 87,000 tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. Vinylon has deficiencies in elasticity, dimensional stability, dyeability, etc. It has a small share in my country’s synthetic fiber market, and its overall output has been declining in the past five years, and will only rebound in 2021. From this point of view, polyvinyl formal has little room for growth in the vinylon market.

Industry analysts said that in addition to the application of vinylon in the textile field, polyvinyl formal is used in adhesives, electrical insulation materials, and foams. Plastics, papermaking, water-soluble fiber nonwovens, building materials and other fields have great room for development. In the field of adhesives, polyvinyl formal can be used to bond metal, rubber, glass, wood and other materials; in the field of foam plastics, it can produce plastic products with high impact strength and large compression elastic modulus; in the field of papermaking, it can improve Paper has strength, toughness and water absorption; in the field of building materials, it can replace asbestos. From this point of view, the polyvinyl formal industry still has good room for development in the future.