New materials refer to newly developed or developing structural materials with excellent properties and functional materials with special properties. Cutting-edge new materials mainly include materials for 3D printing, biomedical materials, and superconducting materials. Structural materials mainly use their mechanical properties such as strength, toughness, hardness, and elasticity.
Strategic emerging industries represent the direction of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and are key areas for cultivating new development momentum and gaining new competitive advantages in the future. At the same time, the new material industry, which also incorporates the advanced achievements of many contemporary disciplines, is the basic industry supporting the development of China’s national economy and the material basis for the development of other high-tech industries.
â… . Industry chain
In the cutting-edge new material industry chain, the upstream is the main raw material, the mid-stream is the manufacturing of six cutting-edge materials, and the downstream is the application field.
â…¡. Upstream analysis
1. Non-ferrous metals
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the output of China’s ten non-ferrous metals in 2020 was 61.68 million tons, an increase of 5.5% year-on-year, and the growth rate increased by 2 percentage points year-on-year. The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association issued a corporate confidence index of 50.1 for the fourth quarter, which remained above the threshold for two consecutive quarters. The China Commercial Industry Research Institute predicts that China’s output of ten non-ferrous metals will reach 63.79 million tons in 2021.
2. Chemical fiber
China’s chemical fiber manufacturing industry started in the 1950s, and China has become the world’s largest chemical fiber producer. The chemical fiber industry has become an industry with international competitive advantages in China and an important pillar industry of the national economy. The raw materials and fiber manufacturing of high-performance, bio-based chemical fiber and other chemical fiber are also an important part of China’s strategic emerging industries. From 2015 to 2020, the total output of China’s chemical fiber industry increased from 48,317,100 tons to 61.79 million tons, an overall upward trend. The total output is expected to reach 63.978 million tons in 2021.
3. Bio-based
Bio-based mainly refers to lignocellulosic agricultural and forestry wastes such as straws other than grain. Using it as a raw material to produce environmentally friendly chemical products and green energy is the only way for mankind to achieve sustainable development. The issue of bio-based products and green energy has become the forefront of the world’s scientific and technological fields.
â…¢. Midstream analysis
1. 3D printing materials
3D printing materials have changed the processing methods of traditional industries, and can quickly realize the molding of complex structures. It has great application prospects in the fields of complex structure molding and rapid processing and molding. Data show that from 2016 to 2019, the scale of China’s 3D printing materials industry has continued to rise. In 2019, the scale of China’s 3D printing materials industry reached 4.094 billion yuan, an increase of 26.2% over 2018, accounting for 26% of the 3D printing industry. It is estimated that by 2021, the scale of China’s 3D printing materials industry will reach 5.71 billion yuan.
2. Superconducting materials
Superconducting material refers to a material that exhibits a resistance equal to zero and repels magnetic lines of force under certain low-temperature conditions. It has been discovered that 28 elements and thousands of alloys and compounds can become superconductors. The addition of superconducting elements to some other elements as alloy components can improve the overall performance of superconducting materials. At the same time, superconducting elements and other element compounds often have good superconducting properties. Data show that in the global superconducting material market, low-temperature superconducting materials account for 95.6% of the main market, and high-temperature superconducting materials account for 4.4%.
3. Bionic materials & bio-based materials
Biomimetic materials have biological characteristics and biological “activity”, and can perceive external “stimuli” to complete certain functions. They are the most cutting-edge field of materials science. In the future, they will be used in intelligent manufacturing, micro-machinery, intelligent control, intelligent robots, medical care, aviation, etc. The field will usher in rapid development. Data show that in 2019, the operating income of bio-based materials of Chinese enterprises above the designated size was 14.849 billion yuan, an increase of 2.438 billion yuan from 2018. China Commercial Industry Research Institute predicts that in 2021, the operating income of enterprises above designated size in China’s bio-based industry will reach 19.73 billion yuan.
4. Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials refer to materials that are in the nanoscale range (1nm~100nm) in at least one dimension in a three-dimensional space or are composed of them as basic units. Nanomaterials can be roughly divided into four categories: nanopowder, nanofiber, nanomembrane, and nanobulk. Data show that the size of China’s nanomaterials market has increased from 69.23 billion yuan in 2016 to 161.48 billion yuan in 220 years. China Commercial Industry Research Institute predicts that China’s nanomaterials market will reach 184.82 billion yuan in 2021.
â…£. Downstream analysis
1. New energy vehicles
Through years of cultivating the entire industrial chain of new energy vehicles, each link has gradually matured. The rich and diversified new energy vehicle products continue to meet market demand, and the use environment is gradually optimized and improved. New energy vehicles are increasingly being recognized by Chinese consumers. The data shows that China’s new energy vehicle output in 2020 was 1.37 million, an increase of 7.5% year-on-year respectively. The China Business Industry Research Institute predicts that China’s new energy vehicle production will reach 1.39 million in 2021.
2. Medical equipment
As China pays more and more attention to the development of the medical industry, favorable policies such as encouraging innovation and accelerating approvals are continuously introduced. People’s medical and health expenditures and health awareness will increase, which will drive the further development of the medical device market. It is expected that by 2021, China’s medical devices The market size will reach 833.6 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.1%.
3. Electronics industry
As one of China’s pillar industries, the electronics industry is a national strategic development industry and occupies an important position in the production of the national economy. Data show that from January to February 2021, the operating income of the electronic information manufacturing industry above the designated size is 1,857 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 55.8%. The low level of profit margin is a long-standing major problem in China’s electronics manufacturing industry. The lack of core technology, low-value chain status, and disorderly competition in the industry are the main reasons for this problem. More attention must be paid to promote the high-quality development of the industry.