1. Overview of the silane coupling agent industry
Coupling agent is a substance with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups. Hydrophilic functional groups are generally polar groups, which can undergo chemical reactions on the surface of inorganic substances; most of the hydrophobic functional groups are non-polar groups. Can chemically react with organic matter. This "bridging" effect of the coupling agent can improve the interface binding force between the inorganic and organic substances, thereby improving the physical, optical, and electrical properties of the material. According to the components and chemical structure, the coupling agent can be divided into chromium complex organic coupling agent, titanate coupling agent, silane coupling agent and aluminate compound.
The silane coupling agent was developed as a surface modifier for the treatment of glass fiber surfaces by companies such as UC and DowSIL as early as 1940. After years of research, the application of silane coupling agents in various fields has been greatly improved.
Silicone new material is one of the new material industries that the national "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" focuses on. It is also a key development project in the "Made in China 2025" key area technology innovation roadmap (2017). Because of its non-toxic, harmless, environmentally friendly, high and low temperature resistance, biocompatibility and other excellent functions, silicones are widely used in life.
The silane coupling agent is widely used in photovoltaic, glass fiber, rubber, plastic, casting, high-grade paint, stone and other industries. The domestic and foreign market demand is constantly increasing. In recent years, it has developed rapidly and has broad market prospects. However, at present, the industry is constantly expanding production, the production scale is getting larger and larger, and the future competition is fierce.
2. The silane coupling agent industry market status analysis
In 2019, the global silane coupling agent production capacity will reach 596,000 tons. Among them, China ranked first with 68.4% of the world's total production capacity. Followed by the United States, Japan and Germany, production capacity accounted for 8.9%, 7.8% and 6.1% respectively, in addition to the United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, accounting for 2.0%, 1.9%, 1.1%.
In the consumption structure of silane coupling agents, it is mainly used in the fields of rubber processing, adhesives, composite materials and plastics processing.
3. Analysis of the synthesis method of silane coupling agent
The synthesis methods of silane coupling agent mainly include Grignard reagent method, direct synthesis method, hydrosilylation method, haloalkane removal HX method and alcoholysis method.
4. Analysis of entry barriers for domestic coupling agent industry
At present, the development of silane coupling agents at home and abroad is very rapid. World-class silicon coupling agent production companies include: GE, DOWSIL, Rhodia, DegussaAG. China's silane coupling agent research started late, starting in the early 1960s, and has achieved good results. In recent years, several large companies such as Jiangsu Chenguang Coupling Agent Co., Ltd., Nanjing Shuguang Chemical Group, Nanjing Yudeheng Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., and Dongguan Hongbai Chemical Co., Ltd. have developed rapidly, and their product quality has also expanded along with the expansion of production scale. Significantly improved. Taking TD-69 as an example, its silane sulfur content is about 22.5%, which belongs to the world's advanced level. The barriers to entry of the coupling agent industry are mainly technical barriers, capital barriers, safety and environmental barriers and customer barriers:
5. Prospect of China's silane coupling agent industry
In recent years, silane coupling agents have begun to develop towards functionalization and high molecular weight. Such as dodecylsilane coupling agent, octyl, etc. The functionalized coupling agent has unique advantages in improving the infiltration of organic matter into the filler, especially for nano-SiO2, glass fiber and other fillers. The long-chain silane coupling agent is greatly improved due to its hydrophobic flexible long chain. The hydrophobicity of the filler surface is promoted, the dispersion of these fillers in solvents, resins, additives, etc. is promoted, and the thermal stability and impact strength of the composite material are improved.
As a new type of coupling agent for surface treatment of organic materials and metals, isocyanate silane coupling agents have significant effects in the treatment of inorganic powder fillers, glass fiber reinforced composite materials, and coatings. In addition, the fluorine-containing silane coupling agent exhibits strong performance in terms of water resistance and stain resistance on the surface of the material, and its affinity for fluororesins, and can be used as a primer coating for fluororesin or wood adhesion. It is foreseeable that with the rapid development of plastics, rubber, coatings and other chemical industries, the variety and demand of silane coupling agents will soon increase. The development of functional silane coupling agents and new synthetic methods will be the future development direction of silane coupling agents.
