In June 2025, an important breakthrough was made in the field of new materials in China - the 9000 tons/year gas-phase silica project invested and constructed by a joint venture officially entered the trial production stage. This project is jointly funded by domestic chemical leaders and well-known European material companies, with a total investment of 470 million yuan. It is the benchmark project with the highest level of technical cooperation and the deepest degree of localization among similar projects in China in recent years.
As a key nanomaterial, fumed silica has become an indispensable raw material in high-end manufacturing fields such as new energy vehicles, 5G communications, and semiconductor packaging due to its excellent thickening, thixotropy, and reinforcement properties. This project adopts the internationally leading hydrogen oxygen flame high-temperature hydrolysis process, with a product purity exceeding 99.8% and a particle size distribution concentrated in the range of 7-40 nanometers. It can accurately match the strict requirements for material properties of power battery adhesives, high-end coatings, special sealants, etc.
According to the project leader, the trial production phase will focus on verifying process stability and product consistency, and it is expected to achieve large-scale production in the third quarter. The project not only reduces environmental costs by recycling organic silicon production by-products, but also establishes a green closed loop of "resources products renewable resources". After reaching production capacity, the annual output value is expected to exceed 200 million yuan, of which more than 30% of the products will be exported to the European and American markets, participating in global high-end supply chain competition.
According to data from global market research institutions, the market size of gas-phase silica will reach 1.65 billion US dollars in 2023, and is expected to exceed 3 billion US dollars by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. As the largest consumer market in the Asia Pacific region, the explosive growth of China's new energy vehicle industry is driving a surge in demand in sub sectors such as tires and electronic rubber. After the project is put into operation, it will effectively alleviate the situation of domestic high-end products relying on imports, promote a price reduction of 15% -20%, and accelerate the process of domestic substitution.
Industry experts point out that with the gradual breakthrough of technological barriers, the gas-phase silica industry is shifting from "scale competition" to "value creation". Through international technology grafting and localized innovation, Chinese enterprises are expected to increase their market share in the high-end market from the current 12% to 25% by 2030, providing more cost-effective solutions for the global manufacturing industry.