In the high-end material field of fumed silica, Sinopec has firmly ranked among the top domestic enterprises and entered the first tier of technology with its profound technological accumulation and innovation strength.
Core Process Technology Route
Sinopec is dominated by the gas-phase process in the production of  fumed silica . This process uses high-purity silicon tetrachloride (SiCl ₄) combined with hydrogen/air as raw materials, and generates white carbon black through high-temperature hydrolysis reaction of SiCl ₄+2H ₂+O ₂ → SiO ₂+4HCl. In terms of technological upgrading, plasma enhanced vapor deposition technology is adopted, which utilizes radio frequency plasma (RF Plasma) to activate the reaction and accurately control the particle size within 7-40nm (accuracy ± 3nm). Compared with traditional processes, the uniformity is improved by 50%. At the same time, closed-loop HCl recovery is achieved, with a by-product hydrogen chloride recovery rate of ≥ 95%, which can be converted into high-purity hydrochloric acid for reuse, effectively reducing environmental costs.
In terms of surface modification technology, Sinopec has achieved in-situ hydrophobicity. Injecting hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) during the vapor deposition stage produces hydrophobic white carbon black with DBP oil absorption value ≥ 300ml/100g and hydrophobicity>99%, which is widely used in fields such as silicone rubber and lithium battery separators. In addition, it also supports 8 types of modifications such as amino and vinyl, benchmarking against the Innovent Aerosil series to meet the customized needs of different customers.
Three pillars of technical strength and high-end product technical indicators
(The original text did not elaborate in detail here. It is speculated that the three pillars of its technical strength may include advanced process technology, a strong R&D team, and a sound production management system, providing solid guarantees for product performance. In terms of high-end product technical indicators, it should be able to achieve industry-leading levels, such as high purity and excellent physical and chemical properties, to meet the needs of high-end application scenarios.)
Industry Status and Certification
Sinopec continues to make efforts in terms of production capacity scale. The Shanghai base will build a thousand ton pilot line in 2023 and plans to expand to 20000 tons per year by 2025. The company has established a comprehensive certification system and obtained ISO 9001/14001/45001, IATF 16949 (automotive grade), UL certification (electronic materials), etc. The product quality has been internationally recognized. Its customers cover industry giants such as CATL (lithium battery separators), Changdian Technology (chip packaging), and AVIC (aerospace materials), demonstrating its strong market influence.
Technical breakthroughs and challenges
Despite remarkable achievements, Sinopec still faces many technological challenges. In the field of cutting-edge materials, electronic grade raw materials rely on imports, and the purity of high-purity silicon tetrachloride (SiCl ₄) needs to be ≥ 99.9999%. Currently, a production base is under construction and pilot testing will begin in 2024. In terms of upgrading chip packaging materials, we have jointly developed ultra-low dielectric constant white carbon black (ε<2.8) with SMIC to support process chips below 3nm, and have broken through surface passivation technology to reduce silicon hydroxyl residue (- OH ≤ 5/nm ²). Pharmaceutical grade products have not yet passed FDA certification and cannot enter the field of pharmaceutical carriers. In addition, in terms of ultra-fine control, the yield rate of ultrafine powders below 3nm is only 65%, which is lower than the 85% of Yingchuang; In terms of surface modification degrees of freedom, the number of functional groups is less than that of Evonik (8 vs 12).
Future technology layout
Sinopec actively plans for the future and continues to explore innovation in the field of new energy materials. Promote the industrialization of rice husk ash regeneration technology, replace quartz sand with agricultural waste to prepare white carbon black, reduce carbon footprint by 65%, and pilot costs have been reduced by 30%. Realize zero carbon process loop, produce silane through 100% recycling of by-product HCl (Sinopec's unique technology), expected to reduce energy consumption by 22%, benchmarking against EU carbon tariff standards. At the same time, we are betting on cutting-edge technology, directly pointing to the pain points of domestic substitution (electronics, medicine), betting on carbon neutral track (green manufacturing), and simultaneously cutting into the future industry (quantum dot materials, intelligent response gel). We have reached the international first-line level in the field of new energy and electronic packaging, and are expected to achieve breakthroughs in more fields in the future, becoming the leader of domestic substitution of high-end white carbon black.