In the fields of metal film materials, MLCC film materials, and semiconductor film materials, recent industry news has shown a trend of technological innovation and capacity expansion. From Tanaka Precious Metals' breakthrough in low-temperature technology in the field of hydrogen energy metal films, to JX Metals' significant expansion of semiconductor target materials due to surging AI demand, and to domestic enterprises' advancement in localization in areas such as OLED metal mask plates and PI flexible copper-clad laminates, the upstream and downstream of the industry chain are ushering in a new round of development opportunities.

1. Metal membrane material: Tanaka Precious Metals' breakthrough in low-temperature high-permeability hydrogen energy membrane

In the field of metal membrane materials, the most notable progress comes from Tanaka Precious Metals, Ltd. The company announced in March 2026 that it had successfully developed the world's first metal palladium (Pd) hydrogen permeable membrane "HPM-L111" -1-6, which achieves high hydrogen permeation performance within a low temperature range of approximately 100 degrees Celsius.

Traditional metal membranes typically require high temperatures of at least 300°C or higher to achieve effective hydrogen permeation. However, through proprietary surface treatment technology, Tanaka Precious Metals has formed tiny serrated structures on the membrane surface to increase the specific surface area, thereby significantly enhancing the permeation rate of hydrogen at low temperatures-1. This breakthrough makes it possible to perform high-purity and rapid hydrogen purification at temperatures far below what was previously feasible, not only reducing energy consumption but also potentially improving the detection accuracy of hydrogen sensors and applying them to hydrogen removal in fuel cells and vacuum equipment-6. Sample shipments are expected to commence in March 2026, with a monthly production capacity of approximately 100 units-1.

II. Semiconductor film materials: Surge in AI demand triggers a wave of production expansion in the industry chain

In the semiconductor field, benefiting from the robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing, upstream film materials and key materials are experiencing a surge in production expansion.

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (JX Metals) announced a 60% expansion in the production of sputtering targets. On March 10, JX Metals announced that in order to meet the demand for advanced logic semiconductors and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI data centers, it will invest approximately 23 billion yen to expand the equipment at its new factory in Hitachi Naka. The goal is to increase the production capacity of sputtering targets to 1.6 times that of 2023 (a 60% expansion) by the second half of fiscal 2027. Sputtering targets are key materials for forming semiconductor thin films, and JX Metals holds a global market share of up to 60% in this field.

Taiwan's panel manufacturers have achieved remarkable results in their transformation into semiconductor materials. At the same time, panel supply chain enterprises in Taiwan are accelerating their transition into the semiconductor materials sector. Chengmei Materials, a polarizer manufacturer, announced that its advanced semiconductor packaging process materials are expected to commence production in the fourth quarter of 2027 and achieve mass production in 2028. The company has approved a capital expenditure of 1.87 billion yuan to focus on packaging application films and advanced packaging materials, aiming to break the foreign monopoly. Daxing Materials, a special chemical materials manufacturer, predicts that the growth rate of semiconductor materials will reach high double digits in 2026, with revenue contribution expected to increase from 16.7% last year to 25-26%. Shantai's semiconductor series products, such as probe cleaning materials and ultra-thin wafer grinding solutions, continue to increase in volume, and this year's revenue contribution from semiconductor materials is expected to rise to over 60%.

Yanyan Powder Materials is increasing its investment in key MLCC materials. In the domestic market, Yanyan Powder Materials (688456.SH) stated on the investor interaction platform in early March that the company's third-phase production capacity in the field of key MLCC materials is designed to be approximately 1,000 tons. The company stated that it will seize the opportunity in this round of component recovery cycle, and expects a significant increase in orders for electronic pastes and nano-metal powder products in 2026.

III. MLCC and high-end electronic film materials: steady market growth and localization promotion

In the field of MLCC and electronic circuit film materials, the market exhibits dual characteristics of steady growth and deepening domestic substitution.

The market for MLCC release films has been growing steadily. According to the "2026 Global and Chinese MLCC Molding Release Film Industry Head Enterprise Market Share and Ranking Research Report" released by Hengzhou Chengsi, the global market for MLCC molding release films was approximately $417.4 million in 2025, and is expected to approach $642.1 million by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% to 7% over the next six years. Jiemi Technology stated on an interactive platform that its release film products mainly include release films for ceramic capacitors (MLCC) production, release films for polarizing sheets of optical materials, etc., serving major global MLCC production enterprises such as Samsung Electronics, Murata, Fenghua High-Tech, and Sanhuan Group.

The PI-based ultra-thin flexible copper-clad laminate project has been launched. In terms of flexible circuit board materials, Shenzhen Xinbang Film Technology Co., Ltd. signed an investment agreement with the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone Management Committee on March 4th, jointly investing 100 million yuan with strategic cooperative enterprises to build a PI-based ultra-thin flexible copper-clad laminate production line. Upon completion, it will achieve a monthly production capacity of 100,000 square meters. This material is the core material-3 that drives the electronics industry towards flexibility and high-frequency development.

IV. Display and Innovative Film Materials: OLED Metal Masks Lead the Way in Originality

In the field of new displays, the core material for OLED panel manufacturing, the Color Metal Mask (CMM), has witnessed a significant breakthrough in domestically developed original technology.

In an exclusive interview with China Electronics News, Qian Chao, Chairman of Jiangsu Gaoguang New Material Technology Co., Ltd., stated that the company has achieved a world-first breakthrough in G8.6 generation high-precision metal mask plates. Through its self-developed high-precision splicing technology, Gaoguang New Material has successfully spliced conventional wide-width raw materials into ultra-large-size products nearly 3 meters wide, meeting the needs of high-generation lines, thus solving the industry bottleneck caused by limited raw material width.

Gaoguang New Materials is currently the only enterprise globally that can simultaneously cover full-size high-precision metal mask products for both G8.6H (half-cut) and G8.6F (full-cut). Taking the 14-inch OLED notebook panel as an example, after adopting the G8.6F full-size mask, the number of single substrate cuts can reach 72 pieces, which is 3.5 times higher than the 16 pieces of G6H, significantly reducing the cost per piece and increasing production capacity by 10%. This layout will strongly support the mass production process of domestic panel leaders such as TCL Huaxing and BOE on the G8.6 generation OLED production line.

Looking at recent industry trends, the metal and high-end film materials sector is exhibiting three core trends: First, application-driven innovation. Whether it's the construction of a hydrogen energy society or the explosion of AI computing power demand, both are forcing upstream film material performance to improve by leaps and bounds. Second, production capacity is shifting towards higher-end products. Leading enterprises such as JX Metal and Youyan Powder Materials are expanding production to seize market share. Third, localization has entered a deeper stage. From OLED metal masks to advanced semiconductor packaging materials, domestic enterprises are moving from import substitution to original innovation leadership, laying a solid foundation in the upstream of the industry chain.