Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the rapid growth and competitive landscape of high-performance membrane materials, particularly in lithium battery separators, hydrogen energy, photovoltaics, and semiconductors, with Chinese companies making significant advancements against long-standing dominance by Japanese and American firms [2]. Group 1: Overview of High-Performance Membrane Materials - High-performance membrane materials are critical for new separation technologies, characterized by energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, playing a vital role in addressing water, energy, and environmental issues [8]. - Membrane materials can be categorized into thick membranes (over 1 micron) and thin membranes (under 1 micron), with applications in water treatment, special separation, gas separation, biomedical, and battery membranes [8][11]. Group 2: Current Development Status of the Membrane Industry - The global membrane materials industry is growing at an annual rate of approximately 15%, with water treatment membranes reaching a mature stage, while special separation membranes are experiencing rapid development [11]. - By 2019, the membrane industry in China had nearly reached a scale of 200 billion yuan, with significant advancements in water treatment, special separation, and gas separation membranes [11]. Group 3: Market Situation of High-Performance Separation Membranes - In 2022, China's membrane industry total output value is expected to exceed 860 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of about 10% from 2022 to 2027 [20]. - The market structure of membrane products in China shows that reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes account for 50%, while ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes each account for 10% [20]. Group 4: Competitive Landscape of the Membrane Industry - The membrane industry value chain includes research and development of membrane materials, production of membrane components, manufacturing of membrane equipment, and system integration, with the highest value contribution from upstream material development [21]. - The competitive landscape features a mix of domestic and international players, with significant market shares held by companies like Shanghai Thinker and Xingyuan Material in the lithium battery separator market [47]. Group 5: Optical Membranes - Optical membranes are widely used in various applications, including precision optical devices, displays, and anti-counterfeiting technologies, with significant growth driven by demand in the LCD and OLED markets [24][37]. - The optical membrane market in China is projected to grow, with a market size of approximately 327.23 billion yuan in 2022, driven by technological upgrades and strong demand from local manufacturers [37]. Group 6: Lithium Battery Separators - The lithium battery separator market is rapidly expanding, with China's output volume reaching 133.2 billion square meters in 2022, accounting for over 80% of the global market share [47]. - Major players in the lithium battery separator market include Shanghai Thinker and Xingyuan Material, with significant growth in both wet and dry separator production [47]. Group 7: Aluminum-Plastic Film - The aluminum-plastic film market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.09%, reaching a market size of 57 billion yuan in 2022 [53]. - The supply of aluminum-plastic films is currently unable to meet domestic demand, leading to a push for domestic production to replace imports [61].