The market demand for syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS resin) is vast. Japan’s Idemitsu is the only manufacturer in the world.

Syndiotactic polystyrene, also known as SPS resin, stands for syndiotactic polystyrene. It refers to crystalline polystyrene polymerized by a metallocene catalyst. Its main chain structure is phenyl groups regularly arranged between phases. Both sides of the molecular chain. In addition to all the properties of traditional polystyrene, syndiotactic polystyrene also has good heat resistance, chemical resistance, hydrolysis resistance, electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, dimensional stability, mechanical properties, etc. It is a Engineering plastics with excellent comprehensive properties.

According to the “Syndiotactic Polystyrene (SPS) Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research CenterIt shows that syndiotactic polystyrene has excellent performance and is widely used in automobiles, home appliances, communications, food packaging, electronic and electrical fields, etc. Specifically, in the automotive field, syndiotactic polystyrene is an important raw material for the preparation of PCB connectors, coil connectors, ECU casings, millimeter wave radomes and other components; in the 5G communications field, it is used in high-end applications such as radars and communication antennas. It is widely used in the field of frequency signal transmission; in the electronic field, it is an important raw material for electronic-grade magnetic films and electrical insulation films. Syndiotactic polystyrene has a wide range of applications and broad market demand.

Syndiotactic polystyrene was first successfully synthesized by Japan’s Idemitsu Company in 1985 and achieved industrial application in 1997. Up to now, Japan’s Idemitsu Company is still the only manufacturer of syndiotactic polystyrene in the world. It has a polymerization production base in Chiba, Japan, with an annual production capacity of syndiotactic polystyrene of 20,000 tons/year; it has a syndiotactic polymerization plant in Malaysia. A new production line will be built with an annual styrene production capacity of 20,000 tons per year (of which 10,000 tons of production capacity will be put into operation in August 2022).

Due to limitations of technology, patents, raw materials and other factors, there are no enterprises in my country with independent production capabilities of syndiotactic polystyrene, and the products are completely dependent on imports. However, many domestic companies and research institutions have laid out syndiotactic polystyrene research and development tracks, including Sun Yat-sen University, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Petrochemical Research Institute, Sinopec Petrochemical Research Institute, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, etc. Syndiotactic polystyrene is a key research area for domestic and foreign companies, and there is huge room for domestic substitution in the domestic market in the future.

Industry Analysis Sources said that Syndiotactic polystyrene is a crystalline polymer prepared from styrene monomer as raw material and catalyzed by metallocene catalyst polymerization. Compared with other engineering plastics such as nylon and polyphenylene sulfide, syndiotactic polystyrene has better thermal properties, chemical properties, and electrical properties. It is a new type of engineering plastics with excellent comprehensive properties and has great application in the fields of electronics, automobiles, etc. Higher application advantages and broad market demand. However, the current global syndiotactic polystyrene market is still dominated by Japan’s Idemitsu Company. In the future, local companies and related institutions will need to increase their research and development efforts and accelerate the localization process of syndiotactic polystyrene.