The rare earth thermal barrier coating industry has broad development space, with aerospace being the largest downstream market

Rare earth thermal barrier coating is a rare earth ceramic coating that is usually deposited on the surface of high-temperature-resistant metals or superalloys and can cool down, insulate, and extend the service life of the base material. Rare earth thermal barrier coatings include rare earth metal thermal barrier coatings and rare earth doped thermal barrier coatings.

The upstream of the rare earth thermal barrier coating industry chain supplies raw materials, including zirconia and rare earths. Zirconia has the characteristics of good mechanical properties, wear resistance, oxidation resistance, high hardness, and high temperature resistance. It is a structural material with excellent performance. my country’s leading zirconia companies include Shandong Guoca Functional Materials Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Dongfang Zirconium Industry Technology Co., Ltd., both of which have advanced zirconia production technologies. my country’s rare earth reserves are relatively abundant. According to statistics from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), my country’s rare earth production reached 168,000 tons in 2021, accounting for 60.0% of the world. The sufficient supply of raw materials lays the foundation for the development of my country’s rare earth thermal barrier coating industry.

The downstream of the rare earth thermal barrier coating industry chain is the application field, with aerospace as its largest demand end. Rare earth thermal barrier coatings have the advantages of energy saving, environmental protection, cooling, heat insulation, good chemical stability, high strength, etc., and can be used as raw materials for aerospace engines. In recent years, the development speed of my country’s aerospace industry has continued to accelerate, driving the aerospace engine market space to continue to expand. In 2021, my country’s aerospace engine industry revenue will reach 27.15 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.9%. Against this background, my country’s market demand for rare earth thermal barrier coatings is increasingly strong. According to the “2022-2027 Rare Earth Thermal Barrier Coating Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report released by the Industrial Research Center , my country’s rare earth thermal barrier coating market size will reach 310 million yuan in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 6.9%.

As an emerging material, rare earth thermal barrier coatings have shown broad application prospects in high-tech fields, attracting many local companies to enter the industry. In recent years, competition in my country’s rare earth thermal barrier coating market has become increasingly fierce. Well-known companies include Sanxiang New Material Co., Ltd., Pioneer (Yiyang) Plasma Powder Co., Ltd., Beikang New Material Technology Co., Ltd., and Inner Mongolia Jingtao Zirconium Industry Co., Ltd. Due to factors such as high technical barriers, there are only a small number of companies in my country capable of large-scale production of rare earth thermal barrier coatings. In 2021, Inner Mongolia Jingtao Zirconium Industry Co., Ltd. and the Rare Earth College of Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology jointly developed the core technology of rare earth zirconate thermal barrier coating, and have initially achieved large-scale production.

Industry analysts said that rare earth thermal barrier coatings have excellent performance and are in strong demand in the aerospace field. With the rapid development of my country’s high-tech industry, development, its application fields are expected to be further expanded. The rare earth thermal barrier coating industry has high technical barriers. In recent years, driven by the technological innovation of leading companies, my country’s rare earth thermal barrier coating production capacity has continued to expand, and the process of domestic substitution of products has continued to accelerate. Under the influence of positive factors such as national policy support, my country’s rare earth thermal barrier coating industry will gain broad development prospects.