The Ministry Of Industry And Information Technology Released The New Material Research And Development Priorities: The Plan Covers 16 Projects, Focusing On New Materials And New Energy Technologies

According to the 2024 project application guide of the National Key R&D Program of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, a total of 16 key projects are covered, including "high-end functional and intelligent materials, advanced structures and composite materials, new display and strategic electronic materials, high-performance manufacturing technology and major equipment, micro-nanoelectronics technology, and new energy vehicles".

Among them, the "high-end functional and intelligent materials" project involves six categories, including key materials for solid-state batteries, energy materials such as thermoelectric/photovoltaic/energy storage, high-end separation membranes and catalytic materials, and special and cutting-edge functional materials.

The "advanced structures and composite materials" project involves six categories, including high-performance polymer materials and composite materials including UHMWPE, carbon fiber, aramid, etc., advanced structural ceramics and their composite materials.

The "new display and strategic electronic materials" project involves four categories, including new display materials and devices such as MicroLED/OLED and quantum dot technology, third-generation semiconductor materials and devices, and cutting-edge electronic materials and devices.

The "new energy vehicle" project involves three categories, including wide temperature range, high specific energy, high-safety power batteries, electric drive systems, and intelligent driving.

According to the application guide, there are multiple projects involving new materials, new energy and other related sectors. The new materials involved mainly include high-performance polymer materials and composite materials including UHMWPE, carbon fiber, aramid, etc., which will also bring many opportunities to related industry companies.

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has many excellent properties, such as wear resistance, impact resistance, self-lubrication, chemical corrosion resistance and low temperature resistance. It is called "magic plastic". Its industrial chain mainly includes catalytic polymerization of ethylene raw materials to form UHMWPE powder, and then through dry or wet spinning process to form UHMWPE fiber.

As domestic manufacturers have achieved technological breakthroughs and mastered UHMWPE production technology, the production capacity of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has expanded rapidly. As of March 2024, the domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene production capacity exceeds 200,000 tons/year, the capacity under construction is 310,000 tons, and there is about 370,000 tons/year of planned new capacity.

In terms of application fields, UHMWPE fiber has the characteristics of high wear resistance, high impact resistance, special flexibility, etc., and is widely used in the manufacture of helmets, high-performance ropes, anti-cut gloves and other fields. In addition, UHMWPE is also widely used in lithium battery diaphragms, plates, industrial pipes and other fields. With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the demand for UHMWPE in the field of lithium battery diaphragms will further increase.

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber has excellent characteristics such as light weight, high strength, low density, high specific strength, ultra-high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, small thermal expansion coefficient, and large thermal conductivity.

The upstream of the carbon fiber industry chain is mainly the supply of chemical raw materials, including acrylonitrile obtained after a series of processes such as refining and ammonia of raw materials such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas.

The downstream is the application field of carbon fiber composite materials, including aerospace, building materials, automotive materials, new energy equipment, sports goods and other fields, among which wind turbine blades, aerospace, sports and leisure, and automotive industries account for a total of about 70%.

Aramid

Aramid is a high-performance synthetic fiber with high strength, high modulus, high temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and other characteristics. It is widely used in rubber, electrical, protection, aerospace and other fields.

The upstream of the aramid industry chain mainly includes raw materials and production equipment for the production of aramid fibers, such as m-phenylenediamine, isophthaloyl chloride, etc.

The downstream is the application field of aramid fibers, including safety protection, aerospace, environmental protection, electronic and electrical materials and other fields.

In terms of aramid application, the penetration field is becoming wider and wider. For example, Minshida develops aramid paper; Taihe New Materials applies aramid in the field of battery separator coating. In addition, it can also be used in a large number of civilian fields such as brake pads and rubber tires.