Domestic Fluorinated Liquids: Ushering in a New Era of High-End Applications

Against the backdrop of increasingly fierce global technological competition, domestic fluorinated liquids are gradually breaking the monopoly of international giants with their exceptional performance and cost advantages. They have become key materials in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, data center cooling, and new energy thermal management. This breakthrough not only signifies a technological upgrade in China’s fluorochemical industry but also demonstrates the nation’s growing capability for independent innovation and control over critical high-end materials.

I. Technological Breakthroughs: From Catching Up to Keeping Pace

The technological progress of domestic fluorinated liquids began with independent R&D of core products such as perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) and hydrofluoroethers (HFEs). These innovations have successfully replaced 3M’s Novec series in semiconductor wafer cleaning applications. The purity of domestic products has been raised to 99.99%, reaching about 85% of the performance level of 3M’s equivalents. Such advancements have enabled Chinese fluorinated liquids to substitute imports in high-end scenarios such as semiconductor etching temperature control and immersion cooling for data centers.

II. Expanding Applications: From Single Use to Diversified Fields

The application scope of domestic fluorinated liquids has expanded from traditional circuit board cleaning to strategic sectors including data centers, new energy, and aerospace. In the data center field, the growing adoption of immersion cooling technology has driven explosive demand for fluorinated liquids. It is estimated that by 2025, China’s liquid-cooled data center market will exceed 130 billion RMB, with immersion cooling accounting for more than 40%.

The rise of domestic fluorinated liquids is a vivid reflection of China’s independent innovation in advanced materials. From laboratory research to mass production, from import substitution to standard-setting, Chinese-made fluorinated liquids are reshaping the global industrial landscape through technological breakthroughs. As the nation advances toward its “dual carbon” goals and deepens its digital economy, this “invisible champion” is poised to demonstrate the solid strength of Chinese manufacturing across an even wider range of high-end applications.