【Trend Indicator】The international rubber and plastic exhibition is about to open. Major chemical companies are launching new products frequently. What are the new developments in the field of modification?

The CHINAPLAS 2024 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition opened on the 23rd. Many enterprises brought their latest products and technologies, hoping to attract the attention of customers and meet their needs during the exhibition. On April 21-22, the official media day of CHINAPLAS 2024 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition, several well-known chemical enterprises, such as Evonik, Seyensqo, Wanhua Chemical, Jingbo Holdings, LyondellBasell, and Huafeng Group, attended the press conference. They engaged in in-depth exchanges with media colleagues on the company's latest products, development trends, etc. Besides these enterprises, there were also some chemical giants, such as BASF and Covestro, who announced their latest products on the media platform in advance. The new developments in the modification field of these enterprises have been summarized by me. 
BASF 

As an international chemical giant, BASF will showcase its latest product, the Ultramid® series, during the Plastics and Rubber Exhibition. This product will help make motors more durable and powerful, thereby injecting momentum into the rapid development of electric transportation. 
To ensure that the motor is safe, efficient, durable and powerful, BASF offers a unique co-creation partnership for the automotive industry: Based on a wide range of engineering plastic product portfolios, combined with professional expertise in design and engineering, as well as Ultrasim® simulation and component testing capabilities, it supports the mass production of end applications. 
This time, BASF presented a series of products including Ultramid® (PA: Polyamide), Ultradur® (PBT: Polybutylene Terephthalate), Ultrason® (PESU/PSU/PPSU: Polyarylether砜), and Ultramid® Advanced (PPA: Polyphenylene Dicarboxamide). These products can meet various performance requirements, such as excellent temperature resistance and chemical resistance, outstanding mechanical strength， high electrical compatibility， high purity， and customizable flame-retardant properties， helping motor components work reliably and efficiently. 
2. Covestro 

During the CHINAPLAS 2024 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition, Covestro will launch the new Yabao® XT polycarbonate copolymer series for the first time. This series of plastics has superior performance and functionality compared to standard products, making it suitable for a wider range of important applications. Thanks to its unique production process, this plastic product will be accelerated for market entry and achieve large-scale production in the future. 
The Yabao® XT products maintain their toughness even under extremely harsh conditions. Based on the new copolymer production technology, the products can maintain excellent impact resistance even at a low temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius. Moreover, these copolymers also have excellent chemical corrosion resistance and anti-aging properties, making them particularly suitable for applications that require contact with corrosive cleaners and outdoor durability. The new polycarbonate copolymers will be widely used in electronic and telecommunications products, the automotive industry, and photovoltaic products. 
3. Jingbo Petrochemical 

The independent high-tech enterprise, BeoYi, spun off by Jingbo Petrochemical, has recently successfully overcome three major technical challenges in POE polymerization process, α-olefins, and catalysts, and has achieved the commissioning of the first domestic industrialized polyolefin elastomer (POE) plant. The BetoppTM series of products are widely used in photovoltaic films, automotive modification, shoe material foaming, and wire and cable industries. 
Mr. Luan Bo, the legal representative, director, and chairperson of the ESG and Strategic Management Committee of Shandong Jingbo Holding Group Co., Ltd., as well as the chairman of Jingbo Petrochemical, Beoiyiyi and Jingbo Zhongzu, and Mr. Deng Rong, the director and chief executive officer, during their presentation also mentioned: The BetoppTM-G product, based on the inherent properties of POE, further optimizes key performance and can be widely applied to components of new energy vehicles such as bumpers, mudguards, instrument panels, door panels, and pillars. The PPR pipe material special grade PA14D produced by Jingbo Petrochemical adopts an independently developed additive formula to solve the industry's pain points of low low-temperature brittleness and difficult winter construction of pipe material special grades; the biobased cycloaliphatic ester rubber prepared through low-temperature emulsion polymerization technology is also an international首创 biobased synthetic rubber variety， with a biobased carbon content of 20% to 100%. 
4. Evonik 

At this year's Chinaplas, Evonik will continue to highlight the innovative and sustainable applications of PA12, and introduce the TEGO® Cycle additive portfolio. In addition, Evonik has also launched a new type of organic modified siloxane-based TEGOMER® polymer processing aid (PPA), which can replace the standard PPA made from fluorine-containing elastomers during the processing of PE and PP. 
Mr. Toni Schreibweiss, Vice President of the High Performance Polyolefin Business Line and General Manager of the Asia-Pacific Region of Evonik, summarized Evonik's performance in the global and Asia-Pacific markets last year and expressed more expectations for the Chinese market. Ms. Ji Quan, the Asia-Pacific Regional Director of Evonik's Nylon 12 Product Line, introduced Evonik's attempts in the green recycling process and its exploration of the possibility of single-component materials. At this exhibition, Evonik will showcase a concept car seat jointly developed with a partner, which is entirely made of PA12 plastic and also incorporates PA12 elastomers. At the same time, PA12 is also applied in cooling pipelines, hydrogen pipelines, high-voltage electrical busbars and other new energy vehicle applications, meeting the thermal management and power management requirements of new energy vehicles. 
5. SYENSQO 

As a specialized chemicals company that was split off from Solvay only at the end of last year, Syensqo's top priority is to present its innovative material solutions with a fresh company image. 
Mr. Liu Yang, the General Manager of Syensqo's China region, stated that he attaches great importance to this crucial strategic market in China. All business units of the company will be established in China to serve and empower customers. 
Andrei C. Lau, the senior executive vice president of the Global Special Polymer Division of Syensqo, and Chen Ning, the global business head of Polymer Additives, respectively introduced the solutions for the two main business segments of Syensqo. 
Special polymer solutions include: surface performance, lightweighting, chemical resistance, heat resistance, wear resistance, temperature resistance, electrical properties, electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, etc. The current new products are mainly concentrated in the fields of semiconductor intelligent equipment and automotive applications. 
In the additive solution, this year's core polymer stabilizer technology can enhance the performance and value of polymers, extend their service life, and minimize plastic waste. 
6. Wanhua Chemical 

He Yong, the general manager of the New Materials Division of Wanhua Chemical, Chu Naibo, the general manager of the High-Performance Polymer Division, and Zheng Tianlong, the assistant general manager of the Petrochemical Sales Company, attended this press conference. 
Regarding the highly anticipated domestic production process of POE by Wanhua Chemical, the general manager of the New Materials Division, He Yong, stated that in the first half of 2024, Wanhua Chemical will be able to produce 200,000 tons/year of POE elastomers. By the end of 2025, it will also continue to build an overall production capacity of 400,000 tons/year of POE elastomers. 
At this exhibition, Wanhua introduced the WANSUPER® polyolefin elastomer POE product. It can be used as a photovoltaic film material to enhance the power generation efficiency of the components and extend their service life. At the same time, Wanhua also noticed the shortage of POE supply in the modification industry. This POE material has a low density, excellent weather resistance, and good compatibility with PP materials. Its blended and modified material with PP can be widely applied to many automotive components, such as bumpers, airbag boxes, and sound insulation pads. 
At this exhibition, Wanhua Chemical will also showcase a series of high-performance innovative materials and solutions such as nylon 12, polysulfone materials (PSU polysulfone / PPSU polyphenylsulfone), PCR materials, photoconductive PC, high-flow PC, high-refractive PC, coc/cop, etc., to empower the efficient growth and sustainable development of various application industries. 
7. Leanderbasel 

Allen Yu, President of LyondellBasell's Asia-Pacific Region and Senior Vice President of Polyolefin Business in Asia-Pacific, is delighted to present LyondellBasell's market-leading products and sustainable development solutions under a new brand image. The core lies in how to help enrich people's daily lives in a responsible manner. 
In addition to the highly praised low-shrinkage high-performance polypropylene Hifax EP246P, the high rigidity of the Hifax low linear expansion coefficient solution ensures the integrity of the structure and makes it less susceptible to deformation due to factors such as temperature and humidity, thus providing an alternative for more traditional materials. 
Rolf van Beeck, the Vice President of the Asia-Pacific, Africa and Middle East regions for the High-Performance Materials business, also introduced the LyondellBasell High-Performance Materials business (APS), and believed that LyondellBasell has competitive advantages in terms of scale, the comprehensiveness of the product portfolio, the backward integration of the circular economy, and the outstanding product performance. 
8. Huafeng Group 

Yu Feifeng, the vice president of Huafeng Group, stated that as a top 500 Chinese enterprise specializing in polymer materials and a global leader in polyurethane product materials, Huafeng closely adheres to the concepts of "circular economy", "innovative materials", and "digitalization and intelligent manufacturing", continuously promoting technological innovation and brand building, thereby facilitating the accelerated transformation of the industry. 
Zhao He-mo-sha, the marketing director of Huafeng Group, also showcased three innovative material products released by Huafeng at this exhibition, all featuring excellent performance: Terrafon® thermoplastic polyester elastomer, which has advantages such as high performance, sustainability, recyclability, and differentiation; Huafon Freemount® PPC, which is biodegradable using carbon dioxide as the main raw material, and has leading advantages in mechanical properties, heat resistance, melt strength, transparency, and barrier properties; Huafon Freemount® embedded brazing flux for aluminum alloy, through special processing technology, this material pre-injects the flux into the aluminum alloy, completely eliminating the traditional traditional flux spraying or spraying process for clients, while improving the production efficiency of heat exchangers to further reduce carbon footprint. 
In addition to highlighting the above three new products, Huafeng also introduced a series of innovative high-performance material products and solutions this year, including AA, TPU, PA66, PA6, PU 3D printing, and PBAT, which can be applied in various fields such as spinning, films, granulation injection molding, etc.