Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) has broad application prospects and there is huge room for domestic substitution in the Chinese market

Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), commonly known as F40, is a semi-crystalline, translucent polymer made from the copolymerization of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene. ETFE has the advantages of good chemical resistance, good processing and formability, good creep resistance, and good dielectric properties. It is widely used in industrial coatings, wires and cables, photovoltaic power generation, agricultural films, medical equipment, aerospace and other fields.

ETFE film is an ETFE end product and can be subdivided into single-layer ETFE film and double-layer air pillow film. The shape and structure of the single-layer ETFE film is similar to that of glass. It has the advantages of lightweight, low production cost, and high technological maturity, and occupies a large share of the ETFE film market. The double-layer air pillow film is a high-end ETFE film and is widely used in the construction field.

ETFE is a high-performance polymer with broad application prospects in many fields. In the field of wires and cables, ETFE can be used to make atomic reactor cables, industrial cables, etc.; in the field of photovoltaic power generation, ETFE can be used as surface packaging material for flexible photovoltaic components; in the field of medical equipment, ETFE can be used to make medical knives and nerve stimulators. , pacemakers, etc.; in the aerospace field, high-performance ETFE can be used as an insulation layer material for aircraft or rockets. According to the “2023-2028 China Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center ” shows that benefiting from the accelerated development of downstream industries, the global ETFE market continues to grow, reaching 3.67 billion yuan in 2022.

Global ETFE production capacity is mainly concentrated in Japan and European and American countries. Representative companies include DuPont, 3M, Chemours, NOWOFOL, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Japan Daikin Industrial Co., Ltd. (DAIKIN), etc. Asahi Glass is the world’s leading ETFE company. It focuses on the R&D, production and sales of ETFE film materials. Its independently developed ETFE Film plasticizing raw materials have the advantages of good dimensional stability, high light transmittance, and good heat resistance. Its sales volume ranks first Leading the world.

In terms of the local market, compared with overseas developed countries, my country’s ETFE industry started relatively late and only achieved commercial application in the 1970s. There is huge room for domestic substitution in the market. The main ETFE manufacturers in my country include Dongyue Group, Taiyi High-tech Materials, Yonghe Co., Ltd., Dinghan Technology, etc. Dongyue Group is the largest ETFE manufacturer in my country and has leading production technology. It has developed multiple series of ETFE products such as DS4051, DS405 and DS406.

Industry analysts said that as a high-performance polymer, ETFE has broad application prospects in many high-tech fields and will accompany the development of downstream industries in the future. As the pace accelerates, my country’s ETFE market space will further expand. Compared with overseas developed countries, my country’s ETFE industry started late and is highly dependent on import demand. In the future, with in-depth research, the localization process of my country’s ETFE market will be accelerated.