Thermotropic liquid crystal polymer (TLCP) is widely used in high-end fields, and there is huge room for domestic substitution in the Chinese market.

Liquid crystal polymers (LCP) include three categories: piezotropic liquid crystal polymers, lyotropic liquid crystal polymers (LLCP) and thermotropic liquid crystal polymers (TLCP). Thermotropic liquid crystal polymer (TLCP) refers to a high-performance material with a rigid fully aromatic chain structure and a special condensed structure. It can be divided into main chain type and side chain type. Thermotropic liquid crystal polymers have the characteristics of excellent mechanical properties, good flame retardancy, good electrical properties, and good radiation resistance. They are widely used in aerospace, medical and health, automobile manufacturing, communications electronics, chemical industry and other fields.

According to the “2023-2028 China Thermotropic Liquid Crystal Polymer (TLCP) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report span>》shows that my country is the world’s largest consumer of thermotropic liquid crystal polymers, accounting for nearly 50% of the global market. my country’s thermotropic liquid crystal polymer industry started late. Due to factors such as high technical barriers, its products are highly dependent on imports. It is expected that in the future, driven by positive factors such as strong market demand and the continuous improvement of independent research and development capabilities of local companies, my country’s thermotropic liquid crystal polymer localization process will accelerate.

​ ​ Thermotropic liquid crystal polymers have excellent properties and are widely used in many fields. In the field of aerospace, thermotropic liquid crystal polymers can be molded separately and can be used to manufacture solid rocket engines; in the field of medical and health care, thermotropic liquid crystal polymers can be used to manufacture medical materials such as surgical instruments and dental instruments; in the field of automobile manufacturing, thermotropic liquid crystal polymers can be used to manufacture solid rocket engines. Liquid crystal polymers can be used to produce automotive sensor housings, body panels, oil lines, reflectors, light holders, etc. Benefiting from increasingly strong downstream demand, the market size of thermotropic liquid crystal polymers continues to expand.

In terms of the global market, there are currently a small number of thermotropic liquid crystal polymer manufacturers in the world, most of which are concentrated in Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries, including Japan’s Ueno Pharmaceuticals, Japan’s Unitika, Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical, the United States DuPont, the United States Dartco, France Rhone Poulenc et al. The above companies have high-end thermotropic liquid crystal polymer production capabilities, and their output ranks among the world’s leaders.

In terms of the local market, my country’s thermotropic liquid crystal polymer industry is still in the research and development stage and has not yet achieved large-scale application. Local companies lack core competitive advantages. Kingfa Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Plite Composite Materials Co., Ltd. are the main manufacturers of thermotropic liquid crystal polymers in my country. Kingfa Technology focuses on the research and development, production and sales of special engineering plastics, and currently has independent research and development capabilities for thermotropic liquid crystal polymers.

Industry analysts said that thermotropic liquid crystal polymers, as high-performance materials, are widely used in high-tech fields and will be driven by technological innovation in the future. Next, its application scope will be further expanded. my country is the world’s largest consumer of thermotropic liquid crystal polymers, but there is a certain gap in production levels compared with overseas developed countries. Demand is highly dependent on imports, and there is huge room for domestic substitution in the market.