Recently, the commissioning ceremony for the first phase of the 30,000-ton-per-year modified polymer materials construction project by CGN Juner (Zhongshan) New Materials Co., Ltd. was held at the Greater Bay Area Polymer Materials R&D and Intelligent Manufacturing Base.

The new project has an area of 18,000 ㎡ and will be operated by Zhongshan Juner Company. It is planned that 12 production lines will be activated in the first phase.The annual production capacity is expected to reach 30,000 tons, mainly producing new materials such as modified polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), and polyamide (PA)., the products are widely used in automotive, electrical, communication, medical, mechanical, aviation, and other fields. Next, ZS Vision will provide a detailed analysis of modified PP, PC, and PA. We will examine the main application areas of these three materials and briefly discuss the future prospects of China's modified plastics market.

I. Modified Polypropylene (PP)

Due to the high shrinkage rate, poor dimensional stability, susceptibility to warping and deformation, brittleness at low temperatures, poor toughness, and poor resistance to light and heat aging of PP material, it must be modified. Modified polypropylene PP possesses excellent mechanical properties and can be used as a substitute for engineering plastics, metals, and thermosetting resins.

Commonly used PP modified plastics include the following types:

1. Flame-retardant PP:The material has a distinct property of significantly delaying flame spread.

Application: Flame-retardant PP is mainly used in household appliances, electrical and electronic components, battery housings, and bathroom equipment, etc.

2. Enhanced PP:It is a mixture of polypropylene with glass fibers or organic fibers, asbestos, or inorganic fillers (talc powder, calcium carbonate).

Application: Enhanced PP is mainly used for manufacturing various mechanical parts, including automotive fans, air conditioning fans, and water purifier filter bottles. In the electrical industry, it can be used to replace ABS and HIPS in various household appliance exterior parts, and is widely used in refrigerator tops, air conditioning bases, foot baths, and more.

3. Weather-resistant PP:By modifying PP material for weather resistance, the lifespan of PP material for outdoor use is significantly improved using modified PP.

Application: Weather-resistant PP is mainly used in the production of appliance casings, indoor and outdoor air conditioning components, and outdoor products such as assembled flooring.

4, High Gloss PP:It is high-gloss polypropylene plastic.

Application: High-gloss PP is mainly used for external parts of small household appliances, such as rice cookers, toilet seats, coffee machines, etc.

II. Modified Polycarbonate (PC)

The main performance defects of PC are its insufficient hydrolysis stability, sensitivity to notches, poor resistance to organic chemicals, and poor scratch resistance. Long-term exposure to ultraviolet light can cause PC to yellow. Like other resins, PC is also susceptible to erosion by certain organic solvents. PC has poor wear resistance, and some PC devices used in applications prone to wear require special surface treatment.

Modified PC is a plastic that undergoes processing modifications on the basis of PC, endowing it with superior properties such as flame retardancy, impact resistance, high toughness, and ease of processing.

Common modified PC plastics include the following types:

Toughened PC (Polycarbonate)Toughened PC is mainly divided into ordinary toughened PC and high-flow toughened PC.

Applications: General-purpose toughened PC materials can be used for thin-wall products, automotive parts, mobile phones, and other electronic and electrical products; while high-flow PC can be used for ultra-thin-wall components, such as tablet back covers (0.4mm).

2. Flame-retardant PC:Flame-retardant PC has excellent mechanical properties, high heat deflection temperature, high dielectric strength, good electrical insulation, and also has good flame-retardant effects.

Application: Flame-retardant PC can be widely used in high-end chargers, lamp holders, switch panels, and other products.

3, GF-PC: Glass Fiber Reinforced PolycarbonateThe material commonly available includes PC+10% GF (glass fiber) and PC+20% GF. PC+10% GF material has excellent impact performance, good toughness; excellent heat resistance, not prone to thermal deformation; less surface floating fibers, evenly distributed glass fibers; good spraying performance, low rate of poor spraying. PC+20% GF material has good flowability and high rigidity; fewer fibers, good chemical resistance; low rate of poor spraying.

(1) PC+10%GF material is mainly used for mobile phone middle frames.

(2)PC+20%GF material is mainly applied in mobile phone frames, tablet computers, and without steel inserts.

III. Modified Polyamide (PA)

PA has excellent mechanical properties, wear resistance, and self-lubricity, and it has good formability. However, it has deficiencies in water absorption, dimensional stability, and electrical performance, and its high and low-temperature resistance also needs improvement. Where there is demand, there is production, and modified nylon specialty materials have achieved many improvements through methods such as filling and reinforcement, and blending.

The varieties of modified PA are numerous, including reinforced PA, aromatic PA, transparent PA, high-impact (super-tough) PA, electroplating PA, conductive PA, flame-retardant PA, PA blends and alloys with other polymers, etc., meeting various special requirements. As structural materials, they are widely used as substitutes for traditional materials such as metals and wood.

Common PC modified plastics include the following types:

1. Glass fiber reinforced PAThe characteristics of glass fiber reinforced PA lie in its significant improvement in mechanical properties, heat resistance, and dimensional stability, while maintaining good wear resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, and processability.

The application of fiberglass-reinforced PA, due to its excellent properties, is widely used in many fields such as the automotive industry, electronics and electrical appliances, mechanical manufacturing, industrial equipment, aerospace and national defense industry, home products, etc. It provides solutions with high strength, high rigidity, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance for products across various industries.

2, Weather-resistant PA:By adding carbon black and other UV-absorbing additives to PA, it exhibits excellent weather resistance, allowing it to be used outdoors or in harsh environments for long periods without easily aging or changing color, while maintaining stable physical and mechanical properties.

Application: Weather-resistant PA is widely used in outdoor construction, external automotive parts, electronic and electrical enclosures, outdoor sports equipment, agricultural facilities, and other fields due to its excellent weather resistance. It can maintain stable performance when exposed to harsh environmental conditions such as sunlight, rain, and wind-blown sand for long periods, and it is not prone to aging, discoloration, or brittleness.

3. Transparent PA:Transparent PA exhibits good tensile strength, impact resistance, rigidity, wear resistance, chemical resistance, surface hardness, and high light transmittance, comparable to that of optical glass.

Application: Transparent PA (polyamide), due to its excellent transparency, chemical resistance, wear resistance, and good processability, is widely used in fields such as optical frames and lenses, automotive interior and exterior components, electronic and electrical domains (such as switches and casings), mechanical parts (such as filters and flow meters), sports equipment (such as sports glasses and diving gear), and as a material for permanent laser marking.

4. Flame Retardant PA:Flame-retardant PA has excellent flame-retardant performance, effectively preventing or slowing down combustion while maintaining the original mechanical, heat resistance, and chemical resistance properties of PA.

Application: Flame-retardant PA is widely used in fields requiring high flame-retardant performance, such as rail transit, aerospace, automotive manufacturing, electrical and electronic equipment, and building fire protection.

4. What is the prospect of China's modified plastics market?

The overall development level of China's modified plastics industry is relatively low. The production scale of enterprises in the industry is relatively small compared to foreign companies in the same industry. The market situation of products is characterized by a large number of low-end products, unstable mid-range products, and a lack of high-end products, far from meeting the needs of China's 21st-century economic development.

Therefore, modified plastics, as an important component in the field of new chemical materials, have been listed as one of the key technology development areas by the country. The market for modified plastics used in automobiles in China is primarily occupied by foreign enterprises, with domestic modified plastic companies holding less than one-third of the market share. Most domestic enterprises' products are largely limited to low technical content and low standards, and they clearly lack the capability to explore areas with high performance requirements.

The downstream sectors of modified plastics are primarily the automotive, electronic appliances, and home appliance industries, which together account for over 50% of the market. In recent years, the introduction of automotive incentive policies has significantly boosted industry growth. Additionally, the policy direction toward energy conservation and emissions reduction has encouraged automotive manufacturers to reduce vehicle weight to achieve these goals, further driving the development of the modified plastics industry.

According to data from the HuaJing Industry Research Institute, benefiting from the continuous expansion of the industry scale and the sustained growth of downstream demand, China's modified plastic production has also continued to increase.In 2023, the market size of modified plastics in China reached 310.7 billion yuan, increasing by 6.44% year-on-year, accounting for 28% of the global market share.The global modified plastic market size was approximately 428.5 billion US dollars in 2023.It is expected that by 2025, the market size in our country will exceed 400 billion yuan, with a CAGR of 8%-10%.

There are more than 3,000 modified plastic companies in the country, but only about 70 companies have capacities exceeding 3,000 tons, and there are few domestic companies with capacities over 10,000 tons. Major producers include companies such as Kingfa Sci. & Tech., Guoen Co., Ltd., Polynt Reifenadditive, Dynasol Elastomers China, Wote Inc., Rongxin Plastics, YeeTex Technology, PolyUnion, Nanjing JULONG, CGN JUNER, and others.

Among them, Kingfa Science & Technology and Guonei Co., Ltd. both produced over 100 million tons in 2023, with a combined market share of about 10%; Kingfa Science & Technology has the largest market share at 8.33%. Profitec, Dynax, and Unity Drive Plastic had production between 10 and 100 million tons.

In the future, driven by trends such as "replacing steel with plastics," "automotive lightweighting," and "home appliances becoming lighter, thinner, and more fashionable," the demand for modified plastics in China will continue to rise. Among these, new energy vehicles, wind and solar energy storage, and humanoid robots are the main growth areas. In particular, 2025, marking the first year of mass production of humanoid robots, will bring new demand growth points.

Moreover, the lightweight and intelligent development of automobiles imposes higher requirements on materials. For instance, automotive sensors and electronic control systems require materials with excellent electromagnetic shielding and dimensional stability, which will drive the demand for modified plastics. China Guangdong Nuclear Juner may have precisely perceived the enormous potential for development in the modified plastics market, thus continuously increasing its investment.

Source: DT New Materials, Chemical New Materials, New Materials Study Society, Aibang Polymer, Huajing Industry Research Institute

Editor: Shi Shenbing