As a niche yet high-strategic rare metal, hafnium (Hf, atomic number 72) lags behind common metals like copper in public awareness, but its unique physicochemical properties make it irreplaceable for nuclear power, aerospace, semiconductors and other high-end fields. This concise breakdown covers its core traits, supply dynamics and critical applications to highlight its underrecognized role in advanced manufacturing. I. Core Properties A silver-gray, high-melting-point transition metal, hafnium exists solely as a zirconium-associated metal—no independent ore deposits. The near-identical atomic radius and chemical properties of zirconium and hafnium make separation/purification highly challenging, the root of its scarcity.Key strengths for harsh industrial use: 2233℃ melting point, exceptional high-temperature oxidation/structural stability Strong room-temperature plasticity, balanced strength and toughness Superior corrosion resistance (insoluble in dilute acids/alkalis, soluble only in hydrofluoric acid/aqua regia) ~600x higher thermal neutron absorption than zirconium (ideal for nuclear reactor control) High dielectric constant of hafnium oxide (critical for advanced semiconductors) Carbides/nitrides (melting point >2900℃) for ultra-high-temperature ceramics and hard alloys II. Supply & Scarcity Resources: Extremely scarce (crustal abundance ~3 ppm), exclusively tied to zirconium ores. Global resources concentrated in Australia, South Africa, the U.S. and Brazil; China faces low hafnium content in domestic zirconium ores, leading to high external dependence. Supply: Production hinges on zirconium smelting, with zirconium-hafnium separation as a core technical barrier. Only a handful of global players produce high-purity (nuclear/electronic-grade) hafnium at scale, forming an oligopoly. Annual output is ~hundreds of tons, with ultra-low supply elasticity—supply disruptions trigger sharp price swings. Ⅲ. Irreplaceable Core Applications Demand is rigid (no cost-effective substitutes) across high-end sectors: Nuclear Industry: Preferred material for pressurized water reactor control rods, regulating reaction rates and ensuring safety. Driven by global nuclear power revival, demand is steadily growing. Aerospace: Key nickel-based single-crystal superalloy additive, boosting high-temperature creep strength and lifespan for aero-engine turbine blades, combustors and rocket nozzles. Semiconductors: High-purity electronic-grade hafnium oxide overcomes silicon dioxide’s miniaturization limits, reducing leakage current and enabling advanced-node chip production—a key growth driver. Other High-End Fields: Used in cutting tool coatings, special electronic components, corrosion-resistant materials and emerging hydrogen storage research, with expanding use cases. Ⅳ. Conclusion Hafnium is a "scarce niche metal with rigid high-end demand," holding irreplaceable strategic value in China’s key industries (nuclear power, aerospace, semiconductors). The global market remains in long-term tight supply-demand balance, and its strategic and market value will rise alongside global advanced manufacturing upgrades.

On Feb 24, 2026, China placed 20 Japanese firms, including Subaru, on an export control watchlist for unverifiable end-use of dual-use items. This signals tighter controls on critical minerals and tech amid geopolitical and supply chain shifts. The analysis examines the firms' supply chain roles and the long-term industrial implications.

On February 24, 2026, China's Ministry of Commerce issued Announcement No. 12 of 2026, adding 20 Japanese entities, including Subaru Corporation, to the export control "watch list" on the grounds of "inability to verify the end-users and end-uses of dual-use items." This move marks the first time since January 2026 that China has explicitly implemented such list-based management measures targeting Japanese enterprises, signaling a shift toward more precise, systematic, and in-depth development of export controls in the fields of critical minerals and high-tech materials. This article will conduct an in-depth analysis of the core backgrounds of these 20 enterprises, reveal their deep-seated connections with supply chains of critical materials such as rare earths, and explore the potential impact of this measure on the future global industrial landscape.

SMM News on June 23: According to the official announcement from Jingxi Daxinan Manganese Industry Co., Ltd., the company is preparing to conduct an open inquiry-based procurement for selenium dioxide. Procurement scope: 4 mt of selenium dioxide, adhering to the YS/T 651-2007 industry standard, with a grade of SeO₂98 and SeO₂ content ≥98%. The appearance should be white crystalline powder or needle-shaped crystals, with no visible inclusions. Procurement method: Open inquiry. Project budget: Approximately 500,000 yuan. The deadline for quotation submission is 9:00 a.m. (Beijing time) on June 23, 2025. Suppliers must complete the quotation submission for the procurement project on the centralised procurement platform before the deadline.

Due to potential safety hazards in some models of power banks, Shenzhen Romoss Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Romoss"), an established power bank company founded in 2012, has found itself at the center of public controversy. According to an announcement released on June 16 on the official website of the Shenzhen Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, due to the potential combustion risk of some products under extreme scenarios, Shenzhen Romoss Technology Co., Ltd. will recall some mobile power supplies manufactured from June 5, 2023, to July 31, 2024, involving three models: PAC20-272, PAC20-392, and PLT20A-152, totaling 491,745 units. According to product information, the capacity of the three recalled products is 20,000 mAh each. (Image source: Official website of the Shenzhen Market Supervision and Administration Bureau) Public information shows that Romoss, founded in 2012, has nine major product lines, including mobile power supplies, outdoor power supplies, data charging cables, and power adapters. On the afternoon of June 17, one day after the recall announcement was released, a reporter from Caixin Media arrived at the office location indicated on Romoss' official website—Floors 15-18, Tower B, Building 7, Phase III of Shenzhen International Innovation Valley. The reporter found on-site that Romoss' office was enveloped in the atmosphere of the recall incident: the front desk staff continuously received calls and repeatedly told the callers, "You can contact customer service." Multiple staff members were walking while making calls and repeatedly mentioned keywords such as "recall" and "battery cell." Regarding the reporter's interview request, the front desk staff of Romoss stated that they had contacted the brand department on behalf of the reporter, but the other party said it was currently inconvenient to accept interviews. It is worth mentioning that on the afternoon of June 17, the reporter from Caixin Media called the customer service hotline shown in the announcement twice, and the phone prompt said, "The user you dialed has been suspended due to arrears." Two hours later, when the reporter called the hotline again, the prompt changed to, "Sorry, the number you dialed is busy." In addition, the Romoss Tmall flagship store currently sells a new 2025 model of the PAC20 power bank with a capacity of 20,000 mAh, and the battery type is indicated as lithium polymer battery. When the reporter from Caixin Media tried to inquire about the battery cell of the product with customer service, multiple replies stated that the current "recall issue has led to a surge in inquiries." According to previous online news, a student claiming to be from a university in Beijing posted, "The school issued a notice: Recently, it was found that the 20,000 mAh Romoss charger is more prone to explosion during charging compared to other brands and models." In the comment section, multiple netizens also posted screenshots of similar notices, which showed messages like "Received a reminder from the superior competent department" and "Please all faculty and staff promptly check if your power bank is of this brand and model, and it is recommended to discard it immediately to prevent danger." In response, Romoss issued a statement on Weibo on June 14, stating, "Regarding the recent discussions on the incident of 'multiple universities in Beijing banning Romoss power banks,' we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to teachers, students, and the public. We hereby solemnly promise that we will assume full responsibility for any Romoss products identified as defective by authoritative institutions in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, we attach great importance to this matter and have initiated an immediate investigation. We have communicated with relevant departments, including the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education. As of the release of this statement, we have not received any risk notifications from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education. There have been deviations in the dissemination of relevant information, leading to public misunderstandings. We will keep everyone informed of the subsequent developments of this incident through official channels as soon as possible." On June 17, a reporter from Cailian Press interviewed several teachers and students from the Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing Union University, and Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, all of whom stated that they had not noticed the school issuing such a notice. The reporter learned from the interviews that factors such as overcharging, internal short circuits, and poor heat dissipation could potentially lead to bulging or explosion of power banks. Zhang Xiang, Secretary General of the International Intelligent Transport Technology Association and a visiting professor at Huanghe Science & Technology College, told a reporter from Cailian Press that overheating during the use of power banks could cause the product to expand and deform, leading to misalignment of the internal structures such as the positive and negative electrode separators and electrolyte within the battery due to compression. In addition, after prolonged use of power banks, lithium batteries are prone to developing dendritic crystals—lithium dendrites—which can puncture the battery separator. These situations can easily trigger short circuits and lead to explosions. According to information from the website of the Shenzhen Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, the mobile power supply products recalled by Romoss may experience overheating during use in a very small number of cases due to the raw materials of some battery cells, posing a combustion risk under extreme scenarios and presenting safety hazards. Regarding battery cell manufacturers, when asked whether they were involved in supplying products to Romoss, a representative from Sunwoda (300207.SZ) told the reporter, "They did not use our battery cells." A representative from the securities department of Desay Battery (000049.SZ) said, "I don't think so." The securities department of EVE (300014.SZ) stated, "We have not seen any relevant news. Everything is subject to the announcement. We are not really clear about this." "The safety and reliability of power banks can be further enhanced by increasing the functionality of the battery management system and improving the distribution of sensors," Zhang Xiang said. Typically, the explosion of a battery is a cumulative process, and battery safety is basically maintained through detection by relevant sensors. The sensor system measures whether the temperature, current, and voltage of the power bank are within the safe thresholds. If any abnormalities are detected, an alert is issued, which can significantly reduce the likelihood of battery explosion.

On May 26, an evaluation meeting for the project achievements of "Research and Application of Multi-stage Regulation Mechanism for Titanium Dioxide Feedstock Particle Size Based on Multimodal Synergy" was held, hosted by the Metallurgical Society of Sichuan Province. After rigorous evaluation, the evaluation committee concluded that the project's overall technology had reached an internationally advanced level, with the online hydrolysis seed crystal regulation technology achieving an internationally leading level. This achievement not only marks a significant technological leap for Pangang Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Pangang") in the field of titanium dioxide manufacturing but also provides a demonstration model for the intelligent upgrading of China's traditional manufacturing industry. In response to the current situation in China, where the production of titanium dioxide via the sulphuric acid process accounts for over 80% of the total, with severe product homogeneity, overcapacity, and weak competitiveness, Pangang actively responded to the national call and formed a joint research team involving Pangang Research Institute, Pangang Vanadium & Titanium Co., Ltd., Chongqing University, Northeastern University, and others. Led by Dr. Ruifang Lu, a distinguished researcher at the Vanadium and Titanium Chemical Engineering Technology Research Institute of Pangang Research Institute, the team systematically analyzed multi-stage regulation mechanisms such as hydrolysis seed crystal quality, hydrolysis process parameters, and salt treatment formulations, and conducted a series of forward-looking technical studies. Through unremitting efforts, Pangang's research team successfully developed the world's first online determination instrument for hydrolysis seed crystal quality, established the first soft measurement model for metatitanic acid particle size based on machine learning in the industry, pioneered the construction of a predictive model for TiO2 particle growth and crystal transformation under different operating parameters during the calcination process, and formulated a full-process control and preparation technology scheme for the particle size of "seed crystal—metatitanic acid—rutile TiO2". This series of innovative achievements not only broke the traditional model of relying on "empirical operation" in multiple key links of titanium dioxide feedstock particle size regulation but also ended the history of manual determination of hydrolysis seed crystals for titanium dioxide produced via the sulphuric acid process. Currently, this achievement has been successfully applied in five production lines of titanium dioxide via the sulphuric acid process at Pangang, with relevant application indicators meeting or exceeding the product performance indicators in the same application fields domestically and overseas. Among them, the qualification rate of key indicators at Chongqing Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. has increased to over 97%, and the key quality indicators at Panzhihua Dongfang Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. have increased to over 95%. This innovative achievement has been granted one overseas invention patent, 14 domestic invention patents, and one software copyright. In the future, Pangang will continue to intensify the application and promotion of this technology, contributing more scientific and technological strength to promoting the high-quality development of China's traditional manufacturing industry.

Amidst the rapid development of the new energy industry, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has emerged as a core material in the NEV and ESS sectors, leveraging its advantages of low cost and high safety. However, the industry is facing challenges such as a shortage of high-quality capacity, fierce competition, and declining profitability, making technological innovation urgent. In this context, titanium-doped iron phosphate technology stands out as a key breakthrough for enhancing material performance and driving industrial development.

The new-type microbial rhodopsin, Haloquadratum walsbyi microbial rhodopsin (HwMR), was identified from the halophilic archaeon Haloquadratum walsbyi. Recent studies have found that this protein can sense the concentration of magnesium ions in the environment and exhibit characteristic changes in absorption spectra and photocycle kinetics. X-ray crystal structure analysis revealed that the wild-type HwMR has two magnesium ion-binding sites, D84 and T216, while the D84N mutant loses this property. Cell experiments have confirmed that HwMR is a light-driven inward transporter of magnesium ions, and researchers have proposed a sequential model for magnesium ion transport based on this finding. This discovery provides a new perspective for understanding the ion regulation mechanisms of microorganisms in extreme environments.

On May 16, at the 2025 SMM (6th) Silver Industry Chain Innovation Conference , hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (SMM), co-organized by Ningbo Haoshun Precious Metals Co., Ltd. and Quanda New Materials (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., and supported by sponsors including Fujian Zijin Precious Metals Materials Co., Ltd., Huizhou Yian Precious Metals Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Jiangshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou Jinquan Mining and Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd., Hunan Shengyin New Materials Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Weida Precious Metals Powder Materials Co., Ltd., Guangxi Zhongma Zhonglianjin Cross-border E-commerce Co., Ltd., Suzhou Xinghan New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., Yongxing Zhongsheng Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., IKOI S.p.A., Hunan Zhengming Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., Kunshan Hongfutai Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., and Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd., Wu Chao, the Executive Director/Director of the Silver Compounds and Materials Preparation Laboratory at the Nanyang Silver New Materials Engineering Technology Research Center/Tongbai Hongxin New Materials Co., Ltd., shared insights on the theme of "Current Status and Development Trends of China's Silver Nitrate Industry Technology Market." 1. Overview of the Silver Nitrate Industry Basic Properties of Silver Nitrate ► Characteristics and Functions of Silver Nitrate Appearance: Silver nitrate appears as colorless, transparent orthorhombic crystals or white crystals, with unique physical characteristics. Strong Oxidizing Properties: Silver nitrate is a strong oxidizing agent, exhibiting significant oxidizing capabilities in chemical reactions. Solubility: Silver nitrate is highly soluble in water and alkalis, slightly soluble in C₂H₅OC₂H₅. Its solubility characteristics influence its range of applications. Major Application Areas of Silver Nitrate PV Applications: The importance of silver powder in PV silver paste is undeniable, with over 95% of the world's PV silver powder produced using the liquid-phase reduction method with silver nitrate as the raw material. Electronics Applications: Used in various components and electrical contact materials in the microelectronics industry, as well as a common reagent in analytical chemistry. Catalysts: In domestic petrochemical enterprises, thousands of tons of silver catalysts are used annually. Pharmaceutical Industry: Used as anti-inflammatory and corrosive agents, such as burn ointments and medical disinfectant gauzes. Environmental Protection and Resource Recovery: Removes chloride ions from wastewater (forming silver chloride precipitate) or acts as a precipitant for heavy metal ions (such as sulphides); silver recovery technologies for silicon wafer cutting wastewater and electroplating wastewater in the PV industry (e.g., ion exchange, electrolysis). Chemical and Analytical Detection: Serves as a precursor for preparing other silver compounds (e.g., silver ammonium nitrate, silver oxide) and silver nanomaterials (e.g., silver nanoparticles, nanowires). Photographic Materials: Over 50% of the world's silver is used in manufacturing photographic materials. Silver salts, with silver nitrate as the base material, form the photosensitive layer in photographic materials. Mirror Manufacturing: Silver-coated glass has excellent reflectivity, with the best mirrors currently made using silver, with silver nitrate as the base material. 2. Current Status of the Technology Market Current Status of Production Processes Characteristics of Traditional Processes: Traditional silver nitrate production processes are relatively simple to operate and require less sophisticated equipment. However, they suffer from low production efficiency, high energy consumption, and limited product purity. For example, using simple dissolution and evaporation processes results in long production cycles and incomplete removal of impurities. Difficulties in Capacity Expansion: Capacity expansion is constrained by multiple factors, with aging equipment and outdated processes being the main reasons. Existing production lines are difficult to expand on a large scale, and intelligent upgrades are challenging. The high cost and long cycle of building new production lines make it difficult for most enterprises to meet the rapidly growing market demand. Directions for Process Improvement: Process improvement focuses on enhancing production efficiency and product quality while reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution. This can be achieved by introducing automated control systems to precisely control reaction conditions and developing new catalysts to optimize reaction pathways, thereby achieving green and efficient production. Current Status of Quality Control Quality Standard System: China has established a relatively comprehensive quality standard system for silver nitrate, specifying indicators such as purity and impurity content. For example, national standards set clear limits for silver content, chloride, sulfate, and other impurities in different grades of silver nitrate to ensure stable product quality. Detection Technologies: Various technologies are used to detect the quality of silver nitrate, including chemical analysis and spectroscopic analysis. Chemical analysis can accurately determine silver and impurity content, while spectroscopic analysis can quickly and sensitively detect trace impurities, providing a reliable basis for quality control. Quality Improvement Measures: Quality improvement measures include optimizing production processes, strengthening raw material quality control, and improving detection procedures. Strictly screening raw materials to reduce impurity introduction, strengthening monitoring during production to adjust process parameters in a timely manner, and increasing detection frequency and items to ensure products meet high standards. Current Status and Analysis of Patent Applications From 2023 to 2024, patent applications in the silver nitrate field exhibited characteristics of "preparation process dominance, accelerated environmental protection technology, and rising equipment innovation." Optimization of preparation processes and equipment dominated, while environmental protection technology became a competitive focus. Future technological breakthroughs may further concentrate on high-purity production, green synthesis, and new energy applications. Current Major Silver Nitrate Standards in China Chemical Reagent Silver Nitrate Standard: The chemical reagent silver nitrate standard GB/T 670-2007 specifies multiple indicators, including content, appearance, and pH value. For example, it has clear provisions for clarity, chloride, sulfate, and other impurities, providing detailed criteria for quality control of chemical reagent silver nitrate. Industrial Silver Nitrate Standard: The industrial silver nitrate standard GB/T 44758-2024 classifies quality into three grades: first, second, and third. In addition to common indicators such as content and appearance, it also specifies requirements for silver ammonia solution reactions and various impurities such as Cu and Fe to ensure industrial application quality. It will be officially implemented on May 1, 2025. Photographic Silver Nitrate Standard: The photographic silver nitrate standard YS/T 476-2002 is formulated based on the special needs of the photographic industry for silver nitrate. It has specific requirements for content and impurities to meet the strict quality standards of photographic silver nitrate for photographic materials. Market Competition Pressures Supply and Demand Analysis of China's Silver Nitrate Market: China's silver nitrate market entered an investment peak period starting in 2023, with the capacity of 16 key silver nitrate planning projects included in statistics reaching 52,200 mt from 2023 to 2025. Although the market demand for silver nitrate continues to grow, it lags far behind the pace of capacity expansion, leading to increasingly significant overcapacity issues and intensifying competition among enterprises. Significant price fluctuation risks for silver, with an amplitude of ±34% in the past three years. In particular, silver prices have remained high in recent years, leading to a sharp increase in costs and seriously affecting the stability of corporate profits. To avoid risks, enterprises have to be cautious in reinvesting and controlling costs, indirectly affecting R&D progress and delaying technological updates. 3. Development Trends Outlook Demand Analysis in Application Areas With the continuous implementation of new energy policies and the decline in the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV in countries worldwide, the global PV market continues to expand, and new PV installations continue to increase, driving up the demand for silver nitrate in the solar cell sector. In 2024, the proportion of silver nitrate used in global PV silver paste has already Accounting for 34% of the total production, China, as the world's largest producer of PV modules, contributed 62% of the procurement volume. This proportion is expected to rise from 34% to 45% by 2030. New Energy Penetration Increase: The technological penetration rate of new energy batteries is projected to increase from 12% in 2025 to 28% in 2030. The primary driving force behind this growth is the sharp increase in demand for materials in the battery industry, which will become a major driver for the growth in silver nitrate market demand. Electronics Industry Process Upgrade: In the electronics industry, the upgrade of silver-plating processes for communication devices in 5G base stations and the rapid growth of the AI industry have led to a surge in demand for high-purity silver nitrate. This drives the development of silver nitrate for electronic applications towards higher quality and more advanced technologies. Breakthroughs in Biomedicine: In the biomedical field, due to breakthroughs in antibacterial coating technology, the penetration rate of silver nitrate solutions in antibacterial coating-related products is expected to increase from 18% in 2024 to 35% in 2030. This will drive the average annual growth rate of the market size for pharmaceutical-grade silver nitrate to reach 12.2%. Market-Driven Technological Advancements 1. Green and Environmentally Friendly Technologies: Membrane separation technology is widely applied in silver nitrate production, with nanofiltration membranes removing macromolecular impurities and ion exchange membranes enabling silver ion recovery. New-type enterprises have adopted these technologies on a large scale, reducing silver ion emissions in wastewater from 0.05 mg/L to 0.01 mg/L and achieving a wastewater reuse rate of 85%. 2. Intelligent Production Technologies: Microreactor technology offers significant advantages, utilizing continuous flow reactions with precise temperature control (±1℃). This reduces reaction time from 6 hours to 45 minutes and increases the capacity utilisation rate to 85%. It also reduces energy consumption by 30%, limits impurity residues to ≤5 ppm, and achieves a silver recovery rate of 98.5%. 3. High-Performance Product Technologies: Continuous crystallization processes are becoming increasingly popular, employing multi-stage low-temperature vacuum crystallization (-10℃~5℃) to increase single-line capacity by 40%. This process enhances purity from 99.5% to 99.99% and reduces unit energy consumption and production costs. Industrial Policy Constraints and Opportunities Environmental Protection Policy Orientation: Environmental protection policy orientation encourages silver nitrate enterprises to adopt green production processes, reduce pollutant emissions, and improve resource utilization. For instance, in recent years, environmental protection authorities have mandated that enterprises meet heavy metal content standards in wastewater discharge, prompting enterprises to improve their production processes. Related investments in technological transformation have increased average costs for small enterprises by approximately 15%. Policy Support Opportunities Policy support opportunities provide a boost to the development of the silver nitrate industry. The government offers tax incentives, financial support, and other policies to environmentally friendly and high-tech enterprises, providing strong guarantees for the development of the silver nitrate industry. Safety Policy Requirements Safety policy requirements are becoming increasingly stringent, covering aspects such as product quality and production safety. Enterprises need to establish a comprehensive quality management system and a safe production system to ensure that products meet national standards. For example, the issue of dedicated vehicle transportation for silver nitrate products has increased production costs by 5-10%. Finally, it introduced the general situation of Tongbai Hongxin New Materials Co., Ltd., its work in standard formulation, market advantages, and the development of Hongxin New Materials' silver nitrate. 》Click to view the special report on the 2025 SMM (6th) Silver Industry Chain Innovation Conference

On April 22, at the CCIE 2025 SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference & Copper Industry Expo – Copper Pipe and Billet Processing Industry Development Forum, Lao Xicai, General Manager of Guangdong Weiqiang Copper Technology Co., Ltd., shared insights on the impact of the metallurgical quality of brass ingots and brass bars on the microstructure and properties of sanitary ware products.