Polyurethane adhesives, as an important category of high-performance adhesives, are currently showing an overall trend of steady growth, technological upgrading and application expansion in the Chinese market.
In terms of market and industrial scale, China has become the world's largest producer and consumer of polyurethane adhesives. Benefiting from the strong demand from downstream industries, such as the continuous development of automotive lightweighting, new energy (photovoltaic, wind power), flexible packaging, textiles, footwear and furniture, the market size has continued to expand. A complete system for raw material supply, product research and development, and production has been formed domestically, and the cluster effect of industries is obvious.
In terms of technological development, the industry is rapidly evolving towards environmental protection, high performance and functionalization. The proportion of solvent-based products has been continuously declining due to increasingly strict environmental protection regulations. Water-based, solvent-free, and UV-curable environmentally friendly polyurethane adhesives have become the focus of research and promotion. Meanwhile, to meet the demands of emerging fields, special high-performance products such as high-temperature resistance, high strength, rapid curing, and intelligent response (such as heat conduction and electrical conduction) are the hotspots of technological research and development. The domestic R&D capabilities and product added value are constantly improving.
However, the industry also faces some challenges. Some high-end products and special raw materials (such as some high-performance polyethers, polyester polyols and special isocyanates) still rely on imports to a certain extent, and there is room to catch up in core technologies. In addition, the continuous improvement of environmental protection and safety production standards has put forward higher requirements for enterprises' technological upgrading and cost control.
Looking ahead, against the backdrop of the "dual carbon" goals and the upgrading of manufacturing, the development of polyurethane adhesives will be deeply integrated with green manufacturing and strategic emerging industries. It has huge application potential in fields such as battery packs for new energy vehicles, bonding of composite materials, green packaging, and building energy conservation. It is expected that the industry will continue to be driven by technological innovation, optimize its product structure, and develop in a more environmentally friendly, efficient and diversified direction, consolidating its key position in the global industrial chain.
