The performance of irradiation cross-linked foaming materials has been greatly improved, and the application proportion is expected to continue to rise.

author: Post: 12/01/2023 26read Comments Off

Foaming materials generally refer to porous materials formed by bubbles generated inside polymers. Polyolefin foaming materials are a common category of foaming materials. Foam materials usually have the advantages of light weight, good elasticity, insulation, sound insulation, heat insulation, weather resistance, etc., and can be used in a wide range of applications. In order to further improve the performance of foaming materials, radiation technology is used to transform the linear molecular structure of the material into a three-dimensional network molecular structure. This type of material is collectively called radiation cross-linked foaming material.

The heat resistance, waterproofness, pressure resistance and other properties of radiation cross-linked foam materials have been greatly improved. Common products are mainly radiation cross-linked polyethylene foam materials (IXPE) and radiation cross-linked polypropylene foam. Material (IXPP) etc. IXPE has high flexibility, low water absorption, waterproof, shock-absorbing, sealing and other functions. It can be used in electronics, automobiles, ships, industry, construction, packaging, sports and leisure, agriculture and other fields. IXPP has the advantages of good thermal stability, good high-temperature formability, high toughness, high tensile strength, impact resistance, sound insulation, etc., and can be used in packaging, heat insulation, automobiles and other fields.

Traditional foaming materials can be prepared by physical or chemical methods. Compared with foaming materials prepared by traditional methods, radiation cross-linked foaming materials have better performance in terms of foam density, foam uniformity, surface smoothness, and physical and chemical properties. The advantages are obvious, and it also has the advantages of being able to produce a wide variety of products, low mass production costs, fast production speed, and being environmentally friendly and pollution-free. In the context of green environmental protection and carbon neutrality, radiation cross-linked foam materials have more development prospects than traditional foam materials.

According to the radiation cross-linked foam materials industry from 2022 to 2026 released by the Industrial Research Center “In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Recommendations Report” shows that in 2021, the global foam materials market will be approximately US$94 billion. It is expected that from 2022 to 2026, the global foam materials market will grow by approximately 4.8% With an average annual compound growth rate, the market size will reach approximately US$119 billion by 2026. With the technological upgrading of the industrial and construction industries, the market’s requirements for the performance, quality, and environmental protection of foam materials continue to increase. In the overall foam material market, the application proportion of radiation cross-linked foam materials is expected to continue to rise.

Xiangyuan New Materials is a representative enterprise in my country’s radiation cross-linked foam material industry. Its main business includes electronic radiation cross-linked polyethylene foam materials, electronic radiation cross-linked polypropylene foam materials, and other businesses. The revenue proportions in 2020 are 96.2%, 2.8%, and 1.0% respectively. In the first three quarters of 2021, Xiangyuan New Materials’ operating income was 327 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 58.98%; net profit was 69.2073 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.35%. From this point of view, my country’s radiation cross-linked foaming material market has strong development momentum.

Industry analysts people said that the number of companies entering the radiation cross-linked foaming material industry in my country is still increasing, such as November 2021 , China General Nuclear Technology stated that the irradiation foaming material has completed pilot testing and will be scaled up according to market demand. In addition, the relevant specifications and standards for radiation cross-linked foaming materials in my country are also gradually improving. In December 2021, the China Isotope and Radiation Industry Association issued a notice soliciting opinions on the group standard “Electron Beam Irradiation Process Specifications for Foaming Materials”. Generally speaking, my country’s radiation cross-linked foaming material industry will develop well in the future.