News Information

At the opening ceremony of the 2025 National Petroleum and Chemical Industry Science and Technology Innovation Conference held recently, Han Jingyou, a second-level inspector of the Raw Materials Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out: "Fine chemicals are not only the core driving force for the high-quality development of the petrochemical industry, but also a strategic fulcrum for industrial upgrading and the cultivation of new quality productive forces." This assertion resonated with the 2025 Fine Chemicals Innovation and Development Forum held concurrently with the conference. Experts attending the forum unanimously agreed that refinement is the biggest growth point for chemical products. Resolving the structural contradictions in the fine chemicals industry and breaking through the bottleneck of scientific and technological innovation have become the breakthrough points for realizing the dream of becoming a petrochemical power.

The structural contradictions in the industry are prominent

What is fine chemicals? Zheng Baoshan, vice president of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute and a professor-level senior engineer, pointed out that according to the relevant discussion in the "Implementation Plan for the Innovative Development of the Fine Chemical Industry (2024-2027)" jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and nine other departments, fine chemicals usually refer to fine chemicals and new chemical materials, which are in contrast to basic chemicals.

At present, the annual production capacity of fine chemicals in China has approached 200 million tons, with an excess supply of bulk products and an overall guarantee rate of 90%. Correspondingly, the innovation capacity of fine chemicals and the innovation investment of enterprises have significantly improved, constantly breaking the monopoly of foreign technologies and products, and a number of leading enterprises with international reputation have emerged.

In addition, China's fine chemical industry also holds a relatively prominent competitive position in the global market. For instance, the global market share of pesticides and synthetic high-intensity sweeteners is 75%, that of rubber additives is 70%, and that of edible organic acids and feed vitamins is 60%.

However, at present, there are prominent structural contradictions in the field of fine chemicals. The self-sufficiency rate of food additives and traditional pesticides is over 130%, while that of photoresists, special gases, high-end wet electronic chemicals and other products is less than 20%. In addition, shortcomings such as insufficient capacity release, weak application technology, restricted key raw materials, ineffective market promotion, and underwhelming substitution also restrict the development of the industry.

Zheng Baoshan cautioned: "The shortcomings of fine chemicals are the stumbling blocks for us to leap from a major petrochemical country to a powerful one." "

Technological innovation drives industrial breakthroughs

At present, the performance that fine chemicals can demonstrate is far from the expectations of downstream industries. We can produce 99% of fine chemicals, but the stability and quality of our products still lag behind the international advanced level. Senior expert in the chemical industry, Yang Xianghong, said.

Technological innovation is the "sharp weapon" to break through the deadlock. Take Shin-Etsu Chemical as an example. It has transformed from a nitrogenous fertilizer plant into a leading enterprise in the global PVC and semiconductor silicon materials fields, all thanks to its continuous research and development innovation. Yang Xianghong introduced, "Take 3M as another example. It has 46 core technology platforms, each delving deeply into materials, processes, R&D capabilities, and application development." For instance, in the case of mirror reflective film (ESR), 3M has achieved the ability to stack over 700 film layers at a thickness of just a few tenths of a millimeter, matching the thickness of the film layers with the wavelength of light at the nanometer level."

Technological innovation also needs to closely follow market demands. Yang Xianghong explained by taking adhesives as an example. In the field of industrial manufacturing, adhesives were once regarded as insignificant auxiliary materials. However, nowadays, they are reshaping the fundamental logic of manufacturing with molecular-level precision bonding technology. From seamless connection of aerospace composite materials to nanoscale packaging of flexible electronic devices, adhesives have advanced to "functional solutions". In the future, adhesives will make technological breakthroughs in the following three aspects. The first is environmentally friendly adhesives, achieving a transition from volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions to "zero-carbon bonding". The second type is high-performance adhesives, known as "molecular locks" in extreme environments. They feature resistance to extreme conditions and dynamic adaptability, and can be applied to the bonding of carbon fiber - titanium alloy heterogeneous materials in the wings of the C919 large aircraft. The third type is functional adhesives, known as the "smart materials" of adhesives, which can be used in fields such as anisotropic conductive adhesives for 5G chip packaging, biomedical adhesives, and responsive adhesives.

Innovation hotspots lead industrial transformation

Yang Xianghong shared the hot trends in the development of fine chemical technology. The first category includes various high-performance fibers, such as ultra-high relative molecular weight polyethylene fibers, silicon carbide fibers, aramid fibers, ceramic fibers, polyolefin elastic fibers, poly (p-phenylene benzdioxazole) (PBO) fibers, and polyphenylene sulfide fibers. Among them, PBO fiber is the product with the highest mechanical properties and heat resistance among organic high-performance fibers, and it is an ideal textile raw material. Yang Xianghong said, "A 1-millimeter diameter PBO filament can lift a weight of 450 kilograms." Silicon carbide fibers are also a hot spot for future development. In the high-temperature, heating and heat exchange industrial fields, the third-generation silicon carbide can achieve a long-term temperature resistance of 1500℃. In corrosive environments and grinding, wear-resistant machinery fields, the hardness of silicon carbide is second only to that of diamond and hexagonal boron nitride. In the semiconductor field, the third-generation silicon carbide can be used to fabricate high-temperature, high-frequency, radiation-resistant and high-power devices. In the field of optical applications, its high refractive index and high thermal conductivity make it an ideal material for the optical components of AR glasses.

The second category is high-performance new materials, such as structured materials, materials for extreme environments, energy materials, phase change materials, thermal insulation materials, and new catalysts, etc. Among them, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers are very promising. For instance, ethylene-butyl acrylate copolymer (EBA) can still maintain impact resistance at -40℃ and the material is flexible. Meanwhile, EBA has good compatibility with various polymers and can be used as a modified material for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The performance of carbon nanotubes is equally excellent. Its electrical conductivity is 10,000 times that of copper metal, and its thermal conductivity far exceeds that of other metal materials. Although its density is only 1/6 of that of steel, its tensile strength is 100 times that of steel, and its elastic modulus is comparable to that of diamond and 5 times that of steel. It has been widely applied in lithium batteries and conductive plastics. Polyadipylm-phenylenediamine (MXD6) can rival or even surpass polyetheretherketone (PEEK) in terms of tensile strength, heat resistance, chemical resistance, dimensional stability and other aspects. However, its cost is only 1/10 to 1/5 of PEEK, and it can be widely used in the automotive, aviation, electronic and electrical and other fields.

The third is silicon-based new materials. This could potentially disrupt the coatings and adhesives industry. For instance, coatings containing modified silicone resins can withstand high temperatures ranging from 300 ° C to 700 ° C. Silanols can be used to prepare silicone resins through polycondensation reactions and also improve the surface properties of materials.