en.Wedoany.com Reported - China's new materials industry has achieved a historic leap over the past decade, with output value growing from approximately 0.7 trillion yuan in 2010 to 8.7 trillion yuan in 2024, representing a compound annual growth rate of about 20%, making the industry scale the largest in the world. Experts interviewed stated that China has transitioned from a phase of scale expansion focused on "solving the problem of availability" to a high-quality development stage aimed at meeting major national strategic needs and enhancing international competitiveness. The innovation model has also shifted from "primarily tracking and imitation" to "combining tracking and imitation with independent innovation."
In terms of building the new materials system, China's output of advanced basic materials such as steel, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, and building materials has ranked first globally for many consecutive years. The supply assurance capacity for key strategic materials, including special alloys for high-end equipment, advanced semiconductor materials, and rare earth functional materials, has been significantly enhanced. Silicon carbide substrate materials, which could not be industrialized a decade ago, now account for about one-third of global production. The annual output of carbon fiber has approached 150,000 tons, roughly half of the global total. The annual output of rare earth cerium magnet materials has reached nearly 90,000 tons, making China the only country to achieve industrialization of cerium magnets. The output of lithium battery cathode materials has grown from about 180,000 tons per year a decade ago to over 3 million tons per year, an increase of about 16 times, while anode material output has risen from about 30,000 tons per year to over 2 million tons per year, an increase of about 67 times.
In terms of core technology breakthroughs, according to a 2011 survey by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, only about 14% of the 130 key materials urgently needed by the national economy could be fully self-sufficient domestically. By 2022, a survey by the National Expert Advisory Committee on the Development of the New Materials Industry showed that the average self-sufficiency rate for key new materials in China had reached 54%. As of the end of 2024, the material assurance level for major equipment such as large aircraft, aero-engines, integrated circuits, and nuclear power has significantly improved. In the field of integrated circuit manufacturing materials, China has broken through key material technologies for 22-28 nanometer processes, with domestic 12-inch large silicon wafers accounting for about 30% of global production. In the mobile communications sector, the domestic market share of domestically produced gallium nitride has risen from about 5% in 2020 to 70%, strongly supporting the development of 5G technology. Breakthroughs have also been made in key materials for aerospace, rail transit, and nuclear power. For example, domestically produced main high-temperature alloys have been used in batches for aero-engines, and materials from companies like Ansteel and TISCO have supported the construction of over 40 nuclear power units.
China is transitioning from "following" to "running alongside" and even "leading" in new materials technology. Third- and fourth-generation aviation aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and carbon fiber have reached the "running alongside" level, while multiple technologies such as silicon steel, rare earth permanent magnet materials, lithium battery materials, and superconducting materials are globally "leading." The number of patent applications in the new materials field has ranked first globally for eight consecutive years, and the scale of related talent teams also leads the world. Taking lithium battery materials as an example, China's global shipment share for the four major materials—cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separator—all exceeds 80%. The global output share of industrial synthetic diamond/micropowder exceeds 95%. The global market share of high-performance niobium-titanium superconducting materials reached 55% in 2024. Polyurethane production capacity accounts for over 40% of the global total, making China the world's largest producer.
In terms of the innovation and development system, China has formed a complete policy framework covering R&D, pilot testing, verification, and demonstration application of new materials, with over 200 national-level innovation platforms and bases, including national materials laboratories and key national laboratories. New materials clusters account for 15 of the 80 national advanced manufacturing clusters. R&D investment intensity exceeds 3%, with multiple key special projects deployed during the "13th Five-Year Plan" and "14th Five-Year Plan" periods to promote collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research. For example, the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute has successfully transformed over 100 strategic achievements through a model of "original university research + secondary development by the institute + incubation in industrial parks," including aero-engine single-crystal blades and gallium nitride RF materials.
Regarding industrial transformation and upgrading, China's materials industry is moving from the mid-to-low end of the value chain to the mid-to-high end. The strength of bridge steel has increased from 370 MPa to 690 MPa, and some high-strength steel for automotive safety structural parts uses 2000 MPa grade, reaching the highest global level. The numerical control rate of key processes exceeds 75%, and over 80% of steel enterprises nationwide are promoting smart manufacturing transformation. In terms of green development, as of 2024, over 830 million tons of crude steel production capacity have undergone ultra-low emission transformation. The recycling volumes of scrap steel, scrap aluminum, and scrap copper reached 250 million tons, 11.5 million tons, and 4.5 million tons, respectively, with comprehensive utilization rates of 25%, 26%, and 33%.
There are numerous landmark achievements in specific fields: In metal materials, multiple technologies for advanced steel materials are internationally leading, such as ultra-high-strength steel supporting automotive lightweighting. Advanced light alloys are applied in the C919 large aircraft and the "Chang'e-6" mission. Practical superconducting material technology leads the world, with Western Superconducting having delivered over 8,000 tons of niobium-titanium wire for MRI to international companies, accounting for more than half of the global market share. Rare earth permanent magnet material output accounts for 90% of the global total, with clear advantages across the entire industrial chain. In inorganic non-metallic materials, China National Building Material Group has taken the lead globally in producing 8.6-generation OLED ultra-thin float glass substrates, with 30-micron ultra-thin flexible foldable glass achieving globally leading core performance. Silicon carbide ceramics support the development of lithography machines. The output of superhard materials has ranked first in the world for over 20 consecutive years, forming a global monopoly. In petrochemical chemical materials, the polyurethane industry has reshaped the global landscape, with companies like Wanhua Chemical becoming global giants. In the carbon fiber field, a T1000-grade carbon fiber large-scale production project has been completed and put into operation. In electronic materials, wide-bandgap semiconductors have broken through embargoes, with China taking the lead in developing 12-inch silicon carbide substrates. Domestic targets such as copper, tantalum, and titanium can support 3-nanometer process technology. In energy materials, photovoltaic materials dominate globally, and the market share of power lithium battery materials exceeds 90%. In biomedical materials, a degradable cardiac occluder series product, led by a team from Sichuan University, has been used in over 500 hospitals across 10 countries, with more than 10,000 implants accumulated.
Currently, China's new materials development still faces some issues. The material support and assurance capacity is insufficient, with a gap remaining between high-end materials for fields like high-end equipment and information technology and those in developed countries, leading to significant dependence on foreign sources. Independent innovation capability is inadequate, with few major original achievements. R&D progress in frontier materials such as ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors lags behind foreign countries, and the "AI empowerment" capability also needs improvement. The transformation of "industry-academia-research" is insufficient, with a long cycle for scientific achievements to move from the lab to the market, and the problem of "good materials not being used" persists.
Looking to the future, experts recommend focusing on the following directions: First, materials for next-generation information technology, including new computing and storage materials, sixth-generation mobile communication (6G) materials, and smart display materials. Second, new energy materials, such as solid-state battery materials and next-generation nuclear energy materials. Third, materials for high-end manufacturing and major projects, involving embodied intelligence, deep space, deep sea, and deep earth development, and next-generation high-speed trains. Fourth, next-generation biomedical materials, such as human-machine fusion biomaterials and nano-diagnostic and therapeutic materials. The goal is for China's overall technology and application level in the materials field to enter the global first tier by 2030, and to become a strong nation in new materials by 2035.
To achieve these goals, it is necessary to build a new materials technology innovation system based on artificial intelligence, advance the construction of materials databases and scientific large models, and realize a closed loop of "AI design - simulation verification - autonomous experimentation - data feedback." At the same time, focusing on key materials for major areas such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration projects, and new energy vehicles, government coordination and scientific research efforts should be strengthened to fully achieve independent assurance. Additionally, frontier materials should be laid out for the next 10 to 15 years, world-class modern industrial chains should be built, and a green and low-carbon new materials industry system should be established, optimizing the energy structure and developing circular manufacturing technologies to support the "dual carbon" strategy.
