Global Colorless Polyimide (PI) Films Market Demand & Forecast Analysis, 2016-2032

Colorless polyimide (PI) films exhibit excellent physical, chemical, and electrical properties, as well as high transparency over a range of temperatures, making them suitable for the harshest conditions in automotive, aerospace, and electrical and electronics industries. Generally, polyimide films bear a characteristic orange/yellow color, but colorless polyimide films are clear and highly transparent. Colorless polyimide films have gained high attraction in the market over the past few years. Compared with traditional polyimide films, colorless polyimide films have the characteristics of a low dielectric constant, high optical properties, excellent thermal stability, and good mechanical properties, and are preferred in high-tech fields such as optoelectronics. Colorless polyimide films are used as optical electronics packaging materials, photosensitive materials, and second-order nonlinear optical materials in optical communications. Colorless polyimide films are used in liquid crystal displays (LCD) as orientation membrane material. Colorless PI films are an ideal material for folding screens owing to their high flexibility, toughness, thermal, and electrical properties. Folding displays have requirements for film materials that have good surface scratch resistance, light transmittance, and flexibility. The materials used in folding mobile phones include colorless polyimide film, conventional polyimide films, polycarbonate, acrylic, and polyethylene terephthalate.

In the current market scenario, polyimide films account for a major share in the flexible printed circuits. With the introduction of colorless polyimide films that are used in flexible/foldable displays, the use of colorless polyimide films is further expected to increase. Unexplored opportunities of replacing other films in flexible printed circuits and the requirement for material with high-temperature resistance and transparency are expected to drive the global colorless polyimide films market. Colorless polyimide films help increase the efficiency and performance of flexible printed circuits, gaining importance in the electrical and electronics industry on account of their excellent electrical properties, high-temperature operability, and weight reduction properties. With increasing disposable income and a rise in the standard of living, it is estimated that there will be huge growth in the electrical and electronics, automotive, and aerospace industries. The colorless polyimide films market for flexible printed circuits applications is expected to witness growth at a CAGR of 9% during the period between 2022 and 2032.

With the growing demand for energy and depleting non-renewable resources, the need for renewable energy sources is higher than ever. On-shore reserves are not enough as there is a large requirement for new material solutions in new deep-water horizons. Solar energy is a renewable and abundant energy source on the planet; hence, the use of solar panels is increasing throughout the world. Colorless polyimide films are the most preferred high-performance films for flexible solar cell applications, owing to their high-temperature operability, transparency, toughness, and flexibility. They can withstand extreme temperatures and pressure. Colorless polyimide films, on account of their unique combination of properties, such as high temperature, chemical resistance, high mechanical strength, good electrical properties, flexibility, and light weight, are used for flexible solar cell applications. The demand for colorless polyimide films for flexible solar cell applications is expected witness to strong growth in the forecast period.

Mobile manufacturers are looking for alternatives to achieve more efficiency, lower weight, higher transparency, and high flexibility for displays. Colorless polyimide films offer excellent heat resistance and great operating temperatures as low as -269°C to +400°C. In the electrical and electronics segment, colorless polyimide films are replacing other polymers in a wide range of applications. Because of their unique properties, colorless polyimide films are used in foldable displays of mobiles as they can withstand high temperature, high toughness along with flexibility. Since 2018, mobile companies like Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Microsoft, and others have launched their foldable phones. Apple and other big players in the mobile phone market are working on research and development of foldable phones. As a result of new technological trends and strong demand for durable, lightweight, and compact mobile phones, the demand for colorless polyimide films is expected to rise in the coming years. Huawei has sold more than 100,000 units of foldable phones per month since its launch. Samsung is one of the major players in the foldable mobile phone industry and is the first to sell millions of units. The foldable mobile phone sell is estimated to increase from,13,000,000 units of foldable phones in 2020, to 30,000,000 in 2021, and half a billion units by 2022. Flexible/foldable displays application demand for colorless PI films is projected to witness a CAGR of 30% in long term forecast.

Major lighting applications are mostly for the flexible active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) and another flexible light-emitting diode. Colorless polyimide films are used in lighting equipment applications owing to excellent electric properties, light weight, high operating temperature, and transmission. In the lighting equipment, colorless polyimide films are used as they provide excellent optical, thermal, and mechanical properties, and maintain high optical transparency. In the long-term forecast till 2032, the colorless polyimide films market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10%.

The other end-users of colorless polyimide films include its use mainly to fabricate parts for demanding applications in various industries. Some of the major applications of colorless polyimide films in various other industries include:

• Drug delivery tubes

• Optical filters for camera lenses

• Wearable sensors

• Printed electronics

• Reflectors and connectors for space antennas