Polyphenylene Ether Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Growing Usage of Electronic Gadgets with Increasing Penetration of the Internet and Adoption of Digitalization -

The polymer polyphenylene ether (PPE), has exceptional mechanical, dimensional, and heat-resistant qualities which makes it essential in the production of mobile phones and other electronic gadgets.

Nearly 15 billion mobile devices were in use worldwide in 2021, up from slightly over 14 billion the year before. By 2025, there is expected to be 18 billion mobile devices worldwide, an increase of 4 billion from the amount in 2020.

• Rising Demand for PPE from the Automotive Sector with Growing Prices of Fossil Fuels

In 2021, around 67 million cars were sold globally, up from 64 million in 2020. In the automotive sector, polyphenylene ether alloys have a very broad application. They are suitable for use in electrical components owing to their fire resistance, low water absorption, and elastomeric properties.

• Rise in Residential and Commercial Construction with Increasing Disposable Income -

A variety of thermoplastic materials, including glass mat thermoplastics and advanced thermoplastic composites, are produced when polyphenylene ether is blended with polyamide or polypropylene. The rate of property ownership in the five European nations ranged from 42% in Switzerland to 95% in Romania in 2021.

• Higher Adoption of Medical Devices Owing to Growing Healthcare Expenditure -

Polyphenylene ether (PPE) has various properties such as heat resistance and chemical inertness. Therefore, it is highly used in surgical blades, needles, syringes, parts of medical devices, and others. During the pandemic, the need for medical devices has surged. The people critically ill by COVID every 1 out of 4 require a ventilator to help them survive. Furthermore, over 6 billion people have received COVID-19 vaccination all around the world in 2020.

Challenges

• Higher Production Cost of Polyphenylene Ethers
• Presence of Various Substitutes of the Polyphenylene Ether
• Volatile Prices of the Raw Material – Polyphenylene ethers are high-end products and as a result, they are more expensive than other materials. With the significant rise in the prices of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX), constantly in the recent past, the price of PPE has also grown massively, which is expected to hamper the market growth.