The new materials industry is not only a strategic and fundamental sector of the national economy, but also a key engine for Shanxi Province to promote structural optimization of its manufacturing sector, accelerate the shift from old to new growth drivers, and achieve transformation and upgrading. Graphene boasts exceptional optical, electrical, and mechanical properties, and holds great potential for applications in fields such as materials science, micro- and nano-fabrication, energy, and biomedicine; it is widely regarded as a revolutionary material of the future. Supercapacitors, as a new type of electrochemical energy-storage device, feature high power density, long cycle life, wide operating temperature range, safety and reliability, and environmental friendliness, making them a rapidly growing market segment. As high-power energy sources, supercapacitors have already been extensively adopted in emerging markets including rail transit, electric buses, smart metering systems, wind power, and smart grids.

However, the full potential of graphene has yet to be fully tapped and applied in manufacturing, and this material still holds tremendous room for development across many fields. The core material for supercapacitors—“capacitive carbon”—has long been heavily reliant on imports and remains expensive, posing a significant “bottleneck” challenge for the industry. To address this issue, since 2017, the Provincial Department of Science and Technology has provided cumulative support totaling 25.65 million yuan for graphene and supercapacitor material research and development through various mechanisms, including the R&D of key core technologies and common technologies in Shanxi Province, major provincial science and technology projects, and the Provincial Key R&D Program.

In the field of graphene, researchers started with basic experimental studies on graphene preparation processes, then moved on to independently tackling engineering-scale technological challenges. Eventually, they successfully built a pilot production line for “graphene” with an annual capacity of 1 ton at the Coal Chemical Research Institute’s pilot-scale base. This production line has been operating smoothly ever since. Building on their mastery of core technologies, they have achieved large-scale, controllable, and stable production of high-quality graphene, positioning Shanxi Province as a leader in the graphene industry.

In the field of supercapacitor materials, researchers have for the first time established a scalable production route for starch-based capacitive carbon, overcoming a series of technical challenges and producing high-quality capacitive carbon. They have also achieved product standardization, process stabilization, and seamless integration with end-users, laying a solid technological foundation for the industrialization of capacitive carbon in China. After nearly three years of intensive research, the team successfully overcame key pilot-scale technical challenges related to "capacitive carbon," and in June 2019, they completed construction of a pilot demonstration line with an annual capacity of 10 tons. This past May, the technology passed the scientific and technological achievement evaluation conducted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, reaching an internationally advanced level and demonstrating the capability to replace imported products. The developed products have already undergone application testing and validation by several leading supercapacitor companies both domestically and abroad. On August 18, Shanxi Zhongke Meijin Carbon Materials Co., Ltd. signed an investment agreement, marking that the technological breakthrough achieved jointly by the Shanxi Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shanxi Meijin Energy Co., Ltd. in the development of supercapacitor material—capacitive carbon—is now ready to replace imported products and has entered the stage of production-line construction.

China is witnessing a springtime for the localization of new materials. Focusing on the new materials industry, the provincial Department of Science and Technology will continue to increase its investment, driving breakthroughs in more “bottleneck” technologies and facilitating the transfer and commercialization of new materials technologies and scientific achievements. This will provide a steady stream of fresh momentum for Shanxi Province as it builds the new materials sector into a pillar industry.