Fluoropolymer is a product that the chemical industry has developed to a higher level. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is what we usually call "Teflon". At present, it has developed into a fluoropolymer variety with large output and rapid consumption growth.
PTFE is colorless and non-toxic. It has strong high and low temperature resistance, aging resistance and high insulation properties. It is one of the better corrosion-resistant materials. The traditional application fields include aerospace, petrochemical, mechanical and electronic, Construction and textile industry…
PTFE is the most widely used in the industrial and electronic fields: China is the main producer of PTFE, which already accounts for about 50% of the global share.
5G market
With the rise of the domestic 5G market, PTFE consumption will usher in substantial growth in high-frequency copper clad laminates, radio frequency cables, base station antenna filters and other fields.
Explain from the following aspects, why 5G's demand for PTFE materials will increase?
1. Low dielectric loss materials
High-frequency transmission technology is one of the key technologies of 5G wireless communication. To achieve high-frequency transmission, materials with low dielectric constant and low dielectric loss must be used. Low dielectric constant materials are mainly used for antenna materials, circuit board materials, and Cover material and shell material, currently the main low dielectric constant materials are PTFE, PPO, LCP and PI (or MPI). Among them, PTFE is a material with a low dielectric constant among the current organic materials, which means that its insulation performance is better.
2. PCB
At present, epoxy resin glass cloth-based copper clad laminates are widely used in 4G communication field PCBs, while 5G fields are mainly micron and millimeter wave applications. Generally, the Df of low dielectric constant resin is required to be less than 0.005. PTFE is the dielectric constant found so far. The lowest polymer material has a Df value below 0.002, and only it can meet the dielectric performance requirements of copper clad laminates in 5G equipment.
3. Cable
Common coaxial cables consist of copper conductors separated by insulating materials, and then the entire cable is covered by a PVC or PTFE sheath. PTFE has outstanding electrical insulation. It has low dielectric constant and low loss factor in a wide temperature range and frequency range. It is an essential material for cables in the 5G era. In the process of 5G base station construction, semi-flexible coaxial Cables will completely replace corrugated coaxial cables, so the demand for insulating layer PTFE materials will increase substantially with the construction of 5G base stations.
4. Antenna filter
The development of 5G communication will also bring about an increase in the demand for filters. The currently used 5G filters are mainly metal cavity filters. Many PTFE components are used in the metal cavity filters to play the role of support, insulation and heat insulation. The metal cavity filter of 5G communication is more miniaturized, the internal structure will be more, and the amount of PTFE is larger than that in the 4G era.