Driven by technological innovation, the localization process of long carbon chain nylon (LCPA) in my country continues to accelerate.

Long carbon chain nylon (LCPA) is a high-performance engineering plastic, which refers to nylon with an amide group in the repeating unit of the main chain of the nylon molecule, and the length of the methylene group between the two amide groups is more than 10. Long carbon chain nylon has the advantages of high rebound rate, good softness, low water absorption, corrosion resistance, impact resistance, etc., and is widely used in aerospace, electronics and electrical, automobile manufacturing, sporting goods, mechanical processing and other fields. Nylon 1212, nylon 1010, nylon 612, nylon 12, nylon 11, etc. are long carbon chain nylon segmented products.

In terms of production technology, the core technology of long carbon chain nylon has long been monopolized by overseas developed countries. However, in recent years, as local enterprises and related scientific research institutions have continuously improved their independent research and development capabilities, they have gradually broken the technological blockade of developed countries, driving the rapid expansion of my country’s long carbon chain nylon production capacity. The biological fermentation method independently developed by the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the mainstream preparation process of long carbon chain nylon in my country. This method uses n-alkanes in paraffin oil to produce finished products through microbial fermentation.

Nylon 12 is widely used and is the mainstream product of long carbon chain nylon. Nylon 12 mainly uses cyclohexanone and butadiene as raw materials, and is widely used in 3D printing, automobile manufacturing, and medical devices. Driven by market demand, my country’s nylon 12 market continues to expand. In 2021, my country’s nylon 12 market size will reach 1.36 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.5%. At present, nylon 12 has become the largest long carbon chain nylon product in my country’s market. As the prosperity of the nylon 12 industry continues to increase, my country’s long carbon chain nylon market prospects are broader.

According to the “2022-2026 Long Carbon Chain Nylon (LCPA) Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestion Report released by the Industrial Research Center 》 shows that long carbon chain nylon has a wide range of applications, including aerospace, electronics and electrical, automobile manufacturing, etc. In the field of automobile manufacturing, long carbon chain nylon is an important raw material for automobile clutch hoses, brake pipes, and oil pipes. Automobile oil pipes made of long carbon chain nylon have the advantages of corrosion resistance, good sealing, and low resistance. With the rapid development of downstream industries, my country’s long carbon chain nylon market demand is increasingly strong. In 2021, my country’s long carbon chain nylon demand will reach 110,000 tons.

The major global manufacturers of long carbon chain nylon include Germany’s Evonik Industries Group AG, Japan’s Ube Industries Co., Ltd. UBE, Switzerland’s EMS Group and the American company DuPont. Driven by technological innovation, the localization process of long carbon chain nylon in my country continues to accelerate. Shandong Xianglong New Materials, Xiyinda Nylon, etc. are the main suppliers of long carbon chain nylon in my country.

Industry analysts said that as a high-performance nylon material, long carbon chain nylon has high technical barriers to the industry, and my country has long relied on imports. However, in recent years, thanks to the continuous improvement of independent research and development capabilities of local enterprises and related scientific research institutions, my country’s long carbon chain nylon production capacity has rapidly expanded, output has continued to grow, and the localization process of the industry has continued to accelerate.